The authors investigated the effect of Math Learning Support Centers (MLSCs) on students’ performance and affective variables in an economic study program. Their data, collected over six years, was analyzed using Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences methods, to control for observable and time-invariant unobservable characteristics. Contrary to a majority of the existing literature, the autors found no direct impact of students’ participation in the MLSC on students’ math performance. However, the research identified positive effects on students’ test anxiety and other affective variables. Moreover, the authors found that students’ engagement in the learning process during the semester (e.g. by attending classes and solving exercise sheets) was a key driver of skill growth. These findings underscore the importance of more rigorous methodological approaches in future evaluations of MLSCs and other similar support systems.

Stefan Büchele, Mirko Schürmann (2023) Causal evidence of the effect of a course specific mathematical learning and support center on economics students’ performance and affective variables, Studies in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2023.2271029