The mediating role of mathematical literacy in first-year educational outcomes in Business Administration and Management degrees: A gender-based analysis

In the field of higher education, the transition from secondary to tertiary education is crucial to reduce dropout rates and to improve the educational outcomes. This study aims to investigate various predictors that affect the academic performance of first-year Business Administration and Management (BAM) students, thereby emphasizing the importance of mathematical literacy. Using a structural equation modeling approach, this investigation looks beyond gender to include baccalaureate choices such as the mathematics pathway and the mathematics entrance exam grades. This study adopts a comprehensive approach by using administrative data from a public university in an outermost region with economic resources and academic performance below the national average. Starting with bivariate descriptive analyses, it moves on to multivariate analyses through structural equation models, thereby examining the joint correlation of variables related to mathematical literacy with the construct 'academic success' in the first year of BAM. The results reveal a dual mediating effect on women's academic success through the chosen mathematics pathway and the grades obtained in the mathematics entrance examination. The study demonstrates a significant correlation between mathematical literacy and academic success in the first year of the BAM degree, both in the subjects with a mathematical component and in those with a higher theoretical component, thus highlighting statistical gender differences. These findings underscore the need for a broader focus beyond gender, including baccalaureate choices in the analysis, to improve the predictions and interventions aimed at enhancing academic success in BAM programs.