Why do students not avail themselves of mathematics support?

The Mathematics Department at the National University of Ireland Maynooth has many supports in place to help students if they experience difficulties. These include small group tutorials, online refresher courses, workshops, and a successful drop-in mathematics support centre. Research has shown that students who take advantage of these services have a greater chance of succeeding in examinations than those who do not, (Mac an Bhaird, Morgan, and O’Shea 2009). However, a small minority of at-risk students do not take advantage of the support available. The aim of our study is to investigate the reasons why some students who are experiencing difficulties do not seek help