Teaching and Learning Research Programme - Widening Participation
Keeping open the door to mathematically-demanding F&HE programmes
Aim
We aim to understand how cultures of learning and teaching can support learners in ways that help widen and extend participation in mathematically demanding courses in F&HE.
Rationale
The Smith Report (after Roberts) again emphasised the economic significance of mathematics and the 'Mathematics Problem' - i.e. the shortage of mathematically well- qualified students and graduates at every level.
We need to understand how mathematics can become more accessible to students, especially those students for whom AS/A2 mathematics is a barrier to progressing into mathematically demanding courses that confer social, cultural and economic capital. Such students come from all sections of society, but research on widening participation in HE suggests the barrier adds to other factors and so may be higher and more difficult to climb for our 'target' broadly working class students under-represented in HE.
The Use of Mathematics AS development (UoM) was designed precisely to overcome the traditional A level barrier and to appeal to students with limited previous success at GCSE.
Hence, the UoM programme is designed to (and widely believed to) improve/enhance participation and retention in mathematics education: this research will test that belief, but further, we will use this opportunity to gain insight into precisely what 'works', and how, when and for whom.
Framework
We draw on the socio-cultural, particularly Cultural-Historical Activity Theoretic (CHAT) to explain how different institutional and programme contexts can afford distinctive pedagogical systems and hence distinct cultures.
These distinct practices and discourses in turn can afford different mathematical identities and so opportunities for variously-positioned, socioculturally-situated students. Different students' identity-work is then mediated by different 'self-authoring' tools (especially cultural models).
Research Questions
How effective is Use of Mathematics in comparison to matched Traditional mathematics programmes in promoting learning outcomes for 16-19 students? (RQ1)
How can different cultures of mathematics learning and teaching offer different learning outcomes and mathematical identities for socio-culturally differently positioned students (class/gender/community)? (RQ2,3)
Mixed design
There will be a quantitative analysis of the value added to the following learning outcomes: Mathematics attainment scores (GCSE to AS), Self-efficacy in use of mathematics' scores (new instrument), and 'Intention to participate further in (mathematics) education' (new instruments). The multiple case study is intended to gain insight into the complex cultures of T&L and how these provide models of mathematical identity for student self-authoring work.
Main Outcomes:
- Knowledge about how mathematics teaching and learning cultures can support better participation in mathematics
- Measurements of the effectiveness of two distinctive programmes of mathematics on learning
- Development of Activity Theory and theories of identity grounded in classroom mediation of mathematical learning.
Impact
The potential impacts of the research on policy and practice is high given the national and international significance of widening participation in mathematics. The research team have strong links with National Association of Numeracy and Mathematics in Colleges (NAMAMIC), Nuffield, Action on Access, British Society for Research in Learning Mathematics, amongst others. They also advise on various relevant government committees and think tanks. The Advisory Committee for the project benefits from existing connections and previous work.
Advisory Committee members include:
Lynne Churchman (HMI/Ofsted)
Jane Imrie (DfES, Standards Unit)
Karen Spencer (ACME, NANAMIC, Kingston College)
Graham McKendrick (LSC Greater Manchester)
Tony Croft, HEA MSOR
Julian Skyrme (WP Office Manchester)
6fFE College student/teacher representatives