TY - JOUR
T1 - A “new normal”
T2 - Teachers’ experiences of the day-to-day impact of incentivising the study of advanced mathematics
AU - Treacy, Páraic
AU - Prendergast, Mark
AU - O’Meara, Niamh
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - This article examines teachers’ perspectives of the impact in the classroom of a novel approach to boosting participation in upper secondary (Senior Cycle) mathematics in Ireland at the most advanced level (Higher Level). This approach, termed the Bonus Points Initiative (BPI), is an incentive which has coincided with a gradual increase from 16% to 31.5% in the proportion of student cohorts opting to complete Higher Level Senior Cycle mathematics studies in Ireland between 2012 and 2018. Qualitative and quantitative data for this study was gathered through questionnaire responses from 266 teachers of Higher Level Senior Cycle mathematics across Ireland. Data analysis led to the identification of a number of emerging challenges for teachers, mainly due to widening ranges of attainment in their classrooms. These challenges include addition to workloads, worries that higher attaining students are being neglected, pressure to cover the syllabus, and concerns with regards to pace of instruction.
AB - This article examines teachers’ perspectives of the impact in the classroom of a novel approach to boosting participation in upper secondary (Senior Cycle) mathematics in Ireland at the most advanced level (Higher Level). This approach, termed the Bonus Points Initiative (BPI), is an incentive which has coincided with a gradual increase from 16% to 31.5% in the proportion of student cohorts opting to complete Higher Level Senior Cycle mathematics studies in Ireland between 2012 and 2018. Qualitative and quantitative data for this study was gathered through questionnaire responses from 266 teachers of Higher Level Senior Cycle mathematics across Ireland. Data analysis led to the identification of a number of emerging challenges for teachers, mainly due to widening ranges of attainment in their classrooms. These challenges include addition to workloads, worries that higher attaining students are being neglected, pressure to cover the syllabus, and concerns with regards to pace of instruction.
KW - Advanced secondary mathematics
KW - classroom practice
KW - incentives
KW - mathematics participation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074433129&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14794802.2019.1668832
DO - 10.1080/14794802.2019.1668832
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074433129
SN - 1479-4802
VL - 22
SP - 233
EP - 248
JO - Research in Mathematics Education
JF - Research in Mathematics Education
IS - 3
ER -