The Option of Selecting Higher-level Mathematics Courses: Transitional Tensions

Steady declines in the number of students taking higher-level mathematics courses have been evident across most States and Territories over the last decade. Rather than its potential for positive feedback, mathematics learning is perceived to be ‘hard’, repetitive and demanding of time. No wonder many students question their engagement. This paper draws on the perceptions of teachers and career professionals to focus on three important transitions that students make throughout schooling, and considers the influences on their decision-making. There is no shortage of expression of concerns within Australian educational contexts about the capacity to produce a critical mass of young people with the requisite mathematical background and skills to pursue careers that will help to maintain and enhance national competitiveness (Ainley, Kos & Nicholas, 2008; Anlezark, Lim, Semo & Nguyen, 2008). The malaise permeates all levels of learning and skill acquisition, with programs to assess mathematical achievement of primary and early secondary students regularly identifying areas that require concerted action. Australia is not alone in its desire to see more students undertaking courses in the so called ‘enabling’ subjects (e.g., van Langen & Dekkers, 2005; Lowell & Salzman, 2007). Throughout schooling, the range of issues that impact on the quality of teaching and learning include the qualifications, supply and retention of teachers who teach mathematics; course structures in schools; and access to, and uptake of, professional development. At the tertiary and policy-making levels, the nature of teacher preparation courses and the lowering or removal of mathematics prerequisites for entry into courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics further compound the problem. Reports, such as, the Audit of Science, Engineering And Technology Skills (DEST, 2006), the Australian Academy of Science’s National Strategic Review of Mathematics Research in Australia (2006), and the Australian Council of Deans of Science’s Preparation of Mathematics Teachers in Australia (2006) repeatedly articulate the scope of the consequences of having a reduced skill-base in the enabling subjects. Australia’s Teachers: Australia’s Future ‐ Advancing Innovation, Science, Technology and Mathematics (DEST, 2003) marked the beginning of a significant attempt to address a number of factors identified through the work of the Committee for the Review of Teaching and Teacher Education as contributing to a lack of vitality in the teaching of science, technology and, in particular, mathematics in our schools. These are deeply ingrained issues and trends. Against this background of diverse priorities and urgent needs, the Maths? Why Not? project (McPhan, Morony, Pegg, Cooksey & Lynch, 2008), from which this paper is drawn, sought to bring together commentary about participation in mathematics. The purpose was to consider relevant material from the literature covering research in mathematics education, trends revealed in international studies, and data based on the experiences and perceptions mainly of teachers and careers professionals. Internationally, Australia’s 15 year-old students perform very well on the mathematical literacy scale in terms of the knowledge and skills as investigated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results from the projects carried out in 2000, 2003 and 2006