Abstract
•Conflicts exacerbate the mathematical knowledge gaps of university students•Transport systems, education systems, and utilities contribute to the knowledge gap•Changing demographics such as marriage affects students’ attendance•Online learning can afford a method to reduce mathematical knowledge gaps
In conflict zones, young people's education is affected because of a lack of regular schooling. This results in young people having knowledge gaps which affects their engagement at universities. This study investigated university lecturers’ perceptions of their students’ mathematical knowledge gaps using a socioecological approach. Fifteen university lecturers from STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in Liberated Syrian were interviewed. Mathematical knowledge gaps were perceived to be exacerbated by the poor infrastructure of schooling systems, transport systems and utilities as well as the changing demography of the students. These were percived as contributing to poor attendance and engagement. The move to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to enable students to reduce their knowledge gaps by raising attendance. The continuation of online learning is hence recommended for students studying in a conflict zone to reduce knowledge gaps.