Spooner, Kerri2026-04-012026-04-012025-08-10In: International horizons in mathematics modelling education edited by Ikeda T, Saeki A, Geiger V, Kaiser G. Print ISBN 978-3-031-53532-1, eBook ISBN 978-3-031-53533-89783031535321http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20864Connecting mathematics and contexts is fundamental when mathematically modelling. However, connecting mathematics and contexts appears unfamiliar for mathematics students. To inform teaching practices, this study looked at: What are the student experiences for connecting mathematics and contexts while participating in mathematical modelling? Tertiary student mathematical modelling experiences with modelling activities from three different New Zealand university modelling courses were looked at. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the students. Reflective thematic analysis was used to identify themes in students’ experiences. The results showed connecting mathematics and contexts was: new for students; can make mathematics more relatable; a different experience for different students depending on their backgrounds.This is the Author's Accepted Manuscript of a chapter in International Horizons in Mathematics Modelling Education, © 2025, Springer. The Version of Record is available at DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-53533-8_303901 Curriculum and Pedagogy3903 Education Systems39 Education8.1 Organisation and delivery of servicesConnecting mathematics and contextsModellingMathematical modellingTertiary studentsApplied mathematicsChapter in BookOpenAccess10.1007/978-3-031-53533-8_30