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We analyse how two co-teaching mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) describe and justify the enactment of their theory of change in a course for practicing teachers. Applying concepts from Communities of Practice, we identify a shared view of the key boundary objects highlighted in the design of the course in our two MTEs, alongside divergent but complementary means of brokering learning at the boundary during enactment. Prominent in our analysis is a working relationship in which one MTE brokering through coordination appears to allow the other to work towards radical transformation, by seeking confrontation that allows her to define the problem space. We consider the implications of this dynamic for their emphasis on teaching as a pair.

We analyse how two co-teaching mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) describe and justify the enactment of their theory of change in a course for practicing teachers. Applying concepts from Communities of Practice, we identify a shared view of the key boundary objects highlighted in the design of the course in our two MTEs, alongside divergent but complementary means of brokering learning at the boundary during enactment. Prominent in our analysis is a working relationship in which one MTE brokering through coordination appears to allow the other to work towards radical transformation, by seeking confrontation that allows her to define the problem space. We consider the implications of this dynamic for their emphasis on teaching as a pair.

This paper considers how Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) can serve as a platform for developing socially just and inclusive mathematics classrooms, and examines how teachers new to RME interpret and enact this potential. Drawing on exit interviews from a large RME trial in England, we explore teachers’ interpretations of RME’s potential for transforming students’ access to mathematics, and their understanding of the role of the “realistic” element of RME in inclusion. We also study one teacher’s classroom practice and reflections to investigate how he endeavours to build on his students’ “real life” starting points. Our analysis of how he appropriates RME to achieve his aims underlines the need to identify inclusion as an object of reflection in continuing professional development.

In this paper we explore the hidden nature of girls’ exclusion from mathematics in a Norwegian lower secondary school. Drawing on ethnographic data from a three-year longitudinal study, we focus on a particular incident of ‘choosing’ a challenging task. Viewing the incident through the lens of Figured Worlds we note how the researcher’s perception of mundane acts in the classroom is expanded by witnessing a rupture within one student’s narrative of the incident. As researcher and researched co-construct events, it becomes apparent that equal opportunity in the form of choice does not necessarily deliver inclusion.

As part of a larger research project, we asked third-year PSTs to reflect on what they had learned about being mathematics teachers of the teacher education programme. The reflections were intended as presentations for first-year PSTs. In this article, we analyse the films by the third-year PSTs to understand the messages more experienced PSTs choose to communicate to novices. Concepts from Gert Biesta are the framework for the content analysis, and we find a complex picture of how qualification, socialization and subjectification interact in the narratives.

International audience; Use of the bar model has gained momentum in England in recent years through the introduction of Singapore maths. Yet bar models originating from the Dutch approach known as Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), such as the fraction bar, the percentage bar and the double number line, have been available since the late 1990s. In this paper, we discuss the use of the bar in an intervention with low-attaining students in which we employed the RME approach. RME bases understanding in the everyday, where the role of the bar is to sustain modelling across multiple contexts, building on students’ informal models. We argue that this context-driven ‘bottom up’ use of the bar is crucial in supporting progress towards formal mathematics, highlighting important issues to consider in the use of bar modelling, particularly with low attaining students. We suggest a consequent need for caution in use of the Singapore bar as a potential ‘top down’ model.

International audience; As part of a larger research project, we asked third-year PSTs to reflect on what they had learned about being mathematics teachers of the teacher education programme. The reflections were intended as presentations for first-year PSTs. In this article, we analyse the films by the third-year PSTs to understand the messages more experienced PSTs choose to communicate to novices. Concepts from Gert Biesta are the framework for the content analysis, and we find a complex picture of how qualification, socialization and subjectification interact in the narratives.

International audience; In this paper, we explore the role of 'others' in one wom-an's mathematical identity. We draw on sociocultural theory to analyse identity in terms of the relationship between self and others: that is, as mutually shaped in interaction with others through the enactment of an 'identity in practice'. Our analysis focuses on the role of 'caring' as a particular form of this relationship, suggesting that our respondent uses this as a cultural resource to identify as a mathematician. We argue that caring supports her access to central mathematical spaces and, consequently, her potential to change the nature of mathematics itself.

This paper explores the application of the ‘discipline of noticing’ in a UK-based teacher development programme designed to enable primary school teachers to develop a deeper understanding of their pedagogical subject knowledge within mathematics, primarily through researching their practice and developing a critical reflexivity. The researchers involved in this study focused on ‘noticing’ as a support for ‘researching from the inside’, in which the practitioner records microincidents in the classroom which have particular salience for them. Subsequent reflection aims to facilitate a drawing back from immediate practice and enabling teachers to see things they have previously overlooked, or have become habituated to see. Focusing on a case study of one teacher participant, this paper explores how the discipline of noticing enables the development of a ‘third space’ in which teacher and researcher roles become hybridised. We argue that teacher empowerment and change is sustained within and beyond the researched context through an emergent participant perspective which enables context-sensitivity and a response to learner identities and local knowledges in the pursuit of particular social justice concerns.

Pre-service teachers frequently experience a tension between their research-informed university college training and their in-school practice. In mathematics teaching, this is a particularly sharp contrast, since personal experience of traditional transmissionist school mathematics and dominant discourses about the importance of ‘right answers’ and ‘natural ability’ can resurface and be reinforced by schools which are driven by accountability and measurement within the context of international performance comparisons such as TIMSS and PISA. Consequently pre-service teachers often tend to focus on teaching instrumental skills, abandoning the holistic approach to mathematical literacy promoted by many teacher educators. This paper reports on data collected as part of a project focusing on this tension, drawing primarily on an analysis of first-year students’ theories about mathematics teaching on entry to a teacher education programme, and their reflections during their in-school practice six months later. Seen within the context of further data gathered from teacher mentors, our analysis indicates particular points of tension around translating theory into practice

Possibilities for the use of research in educational practice are often written off due to the history, politics and interests of the ostensibly separate worlds that researchers and practitioners occupy. However, a more optimistic account highlights the ways these communities share a common need for practice-based theories, which enable them to make sense of a wide range of issues in education, including pedagogy, learning, and educational equity. In applying theory to situated accounts of various educational practices and learning contexts, this book explores mistaken assumptions about the ways that research can 'inform' or otherwise impact practice. It problematises a 'what works' agenda but also points to potentially more productive research-practice relationships in education. Experienced contributors describe how they have used a variety of context-sensitive theoretical approaches in the socio-cultural and discursive traditions to both understand practice and address a wide range of practical issues in education. At its core Reframing Educational Research challenges two commonly held assumptions: that "best practice" is readily identifiable in a way that is then transferrable to new contexts for use by practitioners more widely, and that theory will not help with what to do on Monday morning in the classroom or in developing policies with direct and visible impact. Drawing on the experience of a number of highly respected expert contributors, including Mel Ainscow, Harry Daniels, Anna Sfard and Etienne Wenger-Trayner, the book discusses a range of issues that must be explicitly addressed if we are to make headway in developing a sustainable and productive relationship between research, policy and practice. The authors make it clear that the politics, policies, institutional practices, market systems and social dynamics currently at play in education have a tendency to derail the idealised pathway from research to reform. This book aims to move the discussion towards alternative, and potentially more fruitful, ways of linking research with practice. Reframing Educational Research is an invitation to all researchers to identify new opportunities for advancing theory and practice in education. It is a must-read for all practitioners and researchers in education.

One goal of Norway’s new primary teacher education programme of 2010 was improved school placement: the relationship between the teacher education institution, practice schools and pre-service teachers was to be formalized as a tripartite cooperation. However, in the area of mathematics education, cooperation is not straightforward: tensions arise because of pre-service teachers’ prior experience and beliefs, and differences between university college training and school practice. This paper reports on questionnaire data and focus group interviews with first-year pre-service teachers and their mentors following school placement. It illustrates the complexity of the partners hip and its impact on pre-service teachers’ professional development in the area of mathematics. Norges forskningsråd 212261

Possibilities for the use of research in educational practice are often written off due to the history, politics and interests of the ostensibly separate worlds that researchers and practitioners occupy. However, a more optimistic account highlights the ways these communities share a common need for practice-based theories, which enable them to make sense of a wide range of issues in education, including pedagogy, learning, and educational equity. In applying theory to situated accounts of various educational practices and learning contexts, this book explores mistaken assumptions about the ways that research can ‘inform’ or otherwise impact practice. It problematises a ‘what works’ agenda but also points to potentially more productive research-practice relationships in education. Experienced contributors describe how they have used a variety of context-sensitive theoretical approaches in the socio-cultural and discursive traditions to both understand practice and address a wide range of practical issues in education.

Why do so many learners, even those who are successful, feel that they are outsiders in the world of mathematics? Taking the central importance of language in the development of mathematical understanding as its starting point, Mathematical Literacy explores students’ experiences of doing mathematics from primary school to university - what they think mathematics is, how it is presented to them, and what they feel about it. Building on a range of theory which focuses on community, knowledge, and identity, the author examines two particular issues: the relationship between language, learning, and mathematical knowledge, and the relationship between identity, equity, and processes of exclusion/inclusion. In this comprehensive and accessible book, the author extends our understanding of the process of gaining mathematical fluency, and provides tools for an exploration of mathematics learning across different groups in different social contexts. Mathematical Literacy’s analysis of how learners develop particular relationships with the subject, and what we might do to promote equity through the development of positive relationships, is of interest across all sectors of education—to researchers, teacher educators, and university educators.

I den pågående debatten om skole og kjønn i Norge uttrykkes det bekymring om gutters skoleprestasjoner. Gutter presterer lavere enn jenter i nesten alle fag. Matematikkfaget avviker fra dette mønsteret; gutter presterer bedre på nasjonale prøver i klasse 5, 8 og 9, mens på slutten av 10. trinn, siste året på ungdomsskolen, presterer jentene noe bedre enn guttene- Samtidig er situasjonen i Norge når det gjelder rekruttering til realfagstudier at jenter er i mindretall, og det arrangeres rekrutteringskampanjer for å motivere jenter til å velge en karrierevei innenfor realfag. Jeg argumenterer for at debatten om kjønn og matematikk i Norge ikke er nyansert nok for å forstå eller adressere disse mønstrene. I denne avhandlingen utforsker jeg hva som skjer i ett matematikklasserom gjennom ungdomsskoletiden, fra elevene går i 8. klasse og til 10. klasse; det siste året før elevene tar valg for videre utdanning. Dette er bakgrunnen for at jeg i denne etnografisk-inspirerte studien har fokusert på hvordan kjønn, (gender), utspilles i et matematikklasserom. Gjennom bruk av det teoretiske rammeverket - Figured Worlds - av Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner & Cain (1998), utforsker jeg de ulike måtene elevene danner et bilde av seg selv (self-fashoning) som matematikkelev i denne klassen. Jeg har vært deltakende observatør i matematikktimer fra 8. til 10. trinn, gjennomført fokusgruppeintervjuer, samlet og studert blant annet elevenes egenvurderinger og kopier av lærerens notater. Videre har jeg gjennomført individuelle dybde intervjuer med 19 elever i siste halvår av 10.klasse. I avhandlingen presenteres først en analyse av den sosiale og kollektive konteksten elevene opererer i, ‘the figured world’ til denne klassen, her omtalt som ‘A-klassen’. Det identifiseres motstridende diskurser knyttet til omsorg og konkurranse - eller dannelse ‘bildung’ versus prestasjoner – hvor styrkeforholdet mellom disse endres over tid. I tillegg identifiseres en gruppe elever, en gruppe med gutter, som har en fremtredende posisjon i klasserommet, både når det gjelder å signalisere ‘å være smart’ og til en maktposisjon i klasserommet som helhet. Deretter følger en analyse av seks av elevenes fortellinger om seg selv, ordnet i par: to høypresterende gutter, to høypresterende jenter og to elever, en jente og en gutt, som sliter med matematikk. Søkelyset settes på hvordan elevene forhandler agentskap (negotiate agency) i sin måte å fortelle om seg selv (self-authoring) på, som matematikkelev. I tillegg utforskes hvordan de som tilsynelatende ser ut til å være en del av de samme undergruppene i klassen, faktisk utvikler seg og posisjonerer seg ulikt i ‘A-klassen’. I studien utforskes det komplekse samspillet mellomden sosiale konteksten, med dens diskurser som matematikkdiskursen, ‘role of figures’, kulturelle mønstre, det elevene har med seg av individuelle erfaringer i deres ‘self-authoring’ og hvordan elevene opererer og posisjonerer seg i relasjon til hverandre. Dette betraktes som en respons på den sosiale konteksten som de er en del av. Det avdekkes hvordan kjønn blir knyttet til den kulturelle modellen av å være smart, signalisert gjennom ‘uanstrengt arbeid’ med matematikkfaget. Dette skjer i det hverdagslige arbeidet med faget, og det foregår ubemerket for deltakerne i dette klasserommet. Vi ser blant annet at jentene er aldri i en posisjon som gjør at de kan utfordre de kjønnsmessige aspektene ved matematikken i dette klasserommet. Imidlertid argumenterer jeg for at dette ikke nødvendigvis betyr at gutter er i en mer fordelaktig situasjon enn jenter. En nøye analyse av elevenes agentskap indikerer en mer kompleks situasjon enn at det er utelukkende en fordel å være i en posisjon knyttet til makt og privilegier, som å være en av de 'smarte guttene', det gir ikke automatisk fordeler. Denne studien tar ikke sikte på å plassere skyld, snarere tar den sikte på å rette oppmerksomheten mot de skjulte aspektene ved kjønn og matematikk i et norsk klasserom. Gjennom bruken av det teoretiske rammeverket ‘Figured Worlds’, argumenterer jeg for at hvis man skal ha en endring i en situasjon hvor det er ikke er lik fordeling av makt, privilegier og muligheter, så krever dette en kollektiv bevissthet som går utover individuelle handlinger. Uten dette vil det ikke være mulig å få til endringer som skal til for å skape et mer inkluderende miljø for alle elever i et klasserom. Current domestic debate about school and gender in Norway focuses on concerns about boys’ underperformance in comparison to girls, and its relation to their higher drop-out rate from upper secondary school. In general, girls perform at a higher level than boys. However, mathematics is an exception to this picture; boys perform better in national tests in grades 5, 8 and 9, while at the end of grade 10, the final year of lower secondary school, girls perform slightly better than boys. At the same time, Norway struggles to recruit female students to the STEM field, despite national campaigns designed to convince girls that there is a career pathway for them in within the STEM. Arguing that the debate about gender and mathematics in Norway is insufficiently nuanced to understand or address these patterns, this thesis explores what happens in one mathematics classroom as its students move from grade 8, when they start lower secondary school, to grade 10, the final year before they choose the educational pathway that they will follow. Thus, the main research question of this ethnographically- inspired study asks how gender is played out in a mathematics classroom. Using the theoretical lens of Figured Worlds offered by Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner & Cain (1998), I explore the ways in which students fashion their sense of self as mathematics learners within this class. Acting as a participant observer I observed lessons over the three years from 8th to 10th grade, conducted focus group interviews, collected artefacts such as students’ diary notes and copies of the teacher’s records, and carried out final in-depth interviews with 19 students at the end of grade 10. The thesis first presents an analysis of the figured world of “Class A”, the social context in which the students live out being mathematics students. It identifies conflicting discourses of care and competition – ‘bildung’ versus achievement - which fluctuate in their relative strength over time. It also establishes the presence of a group of boys who hold a prominent position in the classroom which is connected to ‘smartness’ and a position of power in the classroom as a whole. This is followed by an analysis of six of the students’ narratives of self, arranged in pairs: two high achieving boys, two high achieving girls and two students, a girl and a boy, who struggle with mathematics. Focusing on how the students negotiate agency in their selfauthoring as mathematics students, I explore how those who are apparently positioned in identical subgroups in the class are in fact on different trajectories in Class A. The thesis explores the complex interplay of social context, discourses of mathematics and learning, the role of figures and cultural models and their own history in person in the ways in which students author themselves as a response to the figured world of Class A. It reveals how gender is refracted through the cultural models of ‘smartness’ and effortless work and the hidden nature of this aspect of gender and mathematics. It is unconsciously played out by the actors in this classroom, and position becomes disposition; the girls are never positioned in ways that might challenge the gendered nature of mathematics in Class A. However, I argue that these hidden and gendered aspects of the classroom do not necessarily mean that boys are in a more advantageous situation than girls. A close analysis of students’ agency indicates a more complex situation in which occupation of a space that seems to be connected to power and privilege such as being one of the ‘smart boys’ does not an automatically confer benefits. This study does not aim to identify heroes or villains. Rather, it aims to draw attention to the hidden nature of gender and mathematics in a Norwegian classroom. Following the theoretical framework of FiguredWorlds, I argue that changing a situation of uneven distribution of power, privilege and opportunities requires collective awareness which goes beyond individual actions. Without this, it is not possible to redirect actions towards a more inclusive environment, for all students in a classroom.

Master i skolerettet utdanningsvitenskap Formålet med denne masteroppgaven er å bidra til økt kunnskap om lek i matematikkfaget i småskolen. I studien presenteres en oversikt over fagfellevurdert forskningslitteratur innen temaet som er publisert i perioden 2008-2018. Disse studiene sees i sammenheng med rammene i samfunnet og belyses av ulike teorier om lek og matematikklæring for å svare på problemstillingen: Hvilke perspektiver er til stede i fagfellevurdert forskningslitteratur om lek i matematikkfaget i perioden 2008-2018? Det har blitt gjort et systematisk litteratursøk i 3 engelskspråklige og 2 norske databaser for å finne relevante studier. Etter ekskluderingsprosessen satt jeg igjen med 13 artikler som oppfylte 7 forhåndsdefinerte kriterier for inklusjon. Artiklene ble analysert ut fra disse tre forskningsspørsmålene: Hva vektlegges som lekens funksjon i matematikkfaget? Hvordan beskrives lek og lærerens rolle i leken? Hvordan beskrives matematikk og matematikklæring? I de fagfellevurderte artiklene fant jeg at leken hadde fire grunnleggende funksjoner i matematikkfaget. Disse funksjonene var lek for utvikling av ferdigheter, lek for konstruksjon av kunnskap, lek for å ivareta en utviklingstilpasset praksis for barnet og lek for å komme i en spesiell læringsmodus. Videre fant jeg beskrivelser av at hvis elevene skal oppnå matematisk kunnskap i leken så er det et poeng å gjøre matematikken eksplisitt for barna ved å hjelpe dem å koble tankene sine til erfaringene de får i leken. Samtidig er det også viktig at læreren gir barnet tid og rom til å utforske og tenke i leken. I artiklene finner jeg beskrivelser av matematikk og matematikklæring som utvikling kognitive ferdigheter, begrepslæring og barns matematiske handlinger som læreren må kunne kjenne igjen. Det beskrives også at matematikk kan være samarbeid, samtale, kreativitet nysgjerrighet og matematikk kan slik tolkes som å ha mye felles med lek. Perspektiver på lek i matematikkfaget dreier seg om hvilke valg samfunnet, skolen og læreren gjør med tanke på hvilken funksjon leken skal ha, hvilken rolle læreren skal ha i leken og om hvilket syn på lek og matematikklæring som skal ligge til grunn for matematikkundervisningen i småskolen.

Master i skolerettet utdanningsvitenskap Å kommunisere og samtale om matematikk i klasserommet er både et middel til læring og et læringsmål i seg selv. Likevel viser internasjonal og nasjonal forskning at lærere avsetter lite tid i undervisning til å samtale om matematikk. Forskning viser også til funn som indikerer at læringspotensialet som ligger i det å samtale om matematikk ikke blir tilstrekkelig utnyttet i praksis. Denne avhandlingen søker mer kunnskap om hvordan helklassesamtaler i matematikk kan fremme læring, og dette med hensyn på lærerens samtalegrep i undervisning. I kraft av sin lederrolle blir læreres syn på kunnskap og læring i stor grad bestemmende for hvordan samtalene utspiller seg i klasserommet. Derfor er følgende problemstilling stilt: Hvordan kan lærerens spørsmål og responser under helklassesamtaler i matematikk skape rom for læring? For å besvare denne problemstillingen er tre ungdomsskolelæreres spørsmål og responser fra tolv helklassesamtaler, analysert ved å anvende to kodesystemer. Lærerspørsmål som fremkom av datamaterialet er kodet etter spørsmålskategoriene til Boaler og Brodie (2004), og lærerresponsene er kodet etter responskategoriene til Drageset (2014). Spørsmålstypene og responstypene er undersøkt i sammenheng med samtalekonteksten de oppstod i, og det er analysert og drøftet hvordan samtalegrepene ser ut til å skape rom for læring. Resultatene av studien viser at én av lærerne stiller flest fakta-og prosedyrespørsmål, noe som leder til at elevene svarer kortfattet og raskt. Dette gjør at tempoet i undervisningen øker, og samtalene blir usammenhengende. De to andre lærerne stiller flest spørsmål som undersøker betydninger og sammenhenger i matematikk. Dette leder til lengre og mer utfyllende elevsvar. Den ene læreren responderer på slike svar ved å demonstrere deler, eller hele løsningen på oppgaven som er gitt. Dette gjør at elevenes deltagelse begrenses, og at læreren hindres i å avdekke deres forståelse grundigere. Den andre læreren responderer ved å spille ordet tilbake til elevene, for videre grunngivning, vurderinger og forklaringer. Med dette avdekkes elevenes forståelse, og samtalen blir konseptuell og sammenhengende. Dette ser ut til å gi grobunn for læring. De to anvendte rammeverkene indikerte ulike likhetstrekk mellom lærerne, noe som indikerte et behov for en nærmere analyse og diskusjon av data. I denne prosessen kom både forhold som ble belyst av rammeverkene, og forhold som ikke ble belyst av rammeverkene frem. Dette avdekket visse begrensninger ved rammeverkene.

Master i skolerettet utdanningsvitenskap The aim of this thesis is to explore connections between a problem-solving approach to teaching mathematics and student learning. The student learning has not been based on test results, but on measures of activity, knowledge and skills. Student accounts from problem-solving classrooms were used to measure this. One teacher’s approach to using problem-solving activities when teaching mathematics has been used as a base for the study. Using qualitative interviews, data was collected from students in the 7th and 10th grade classes at two different schools where he teaches. These interviews were analyzed through a framework designed to identify characteristics of powerful mathematics classrooms. The theoretical perspective of this thesis connects research on knowledge types and knowledge quality to theory on what understanding is needed for- and obtained through mathematical problem solving. It is argued that there is a clear connection between the ability to solve problems, and the capability of connecting mathematical concepts, applying strategies and reasoning abilities. A qualitative approach was taken in this study, conducting interviews to collect data. Although many lessons were observed, collecting data has not been done through observation. In order to acquire the students’ perceptions on participating in problem-solving classes, using interviews were chosen as the most suitable method. Concluding the thesis, there were several findings. First, it concluded that the students in these classes learned through a sociocultural approach to learning. Working in groups and engaging in productive struggles together with peers were connected to Vygotsky’s ideas of Zone of Proximal Development and scaffolding. Collaborative work with problem solving helped the students engage with challenging tasks. Second, the students showed good abilities in applying strategies when solving problems. Although the students did not express that they had learned explicit strategies, they interacted with the tasks in ways that are connected with effective problem solving. Third, there seemed to be a correlation between the students who regularly worked with problem-solving tasks and the quality of knowledge they possessed. The interviewed students were all in possession of a variety of knowledge and skills which they were able to connect and reason with through the problem-solving tasks, making the case that the students in these classes had achieved deep learning. Last, there are implications that problem solving should be a means towards mathematical competency, and not the end result of learning mathematics.

Master i skolerettet utdanningsvitenskap The purpose of this master thesis is to interpret and compare Norwegian and English students’ accounts of choosing post-compulsory mathematics, to try to recognize cultural differences and similarities in the students’ stories. Therefore, my research questions are: What cultural differences and similarities are visible in English and Norwegian students’ accounts of choosing mathematics? - What cultural models of gender and education do they draw on? - How do they self-author as students of mathematics? I took a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews with 15 students studying post-compulsory mathematics in Norway and England. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using theory from Bakhtin (1981, 1986), Gee (2012) and Sfard and Prusak (2005a, 2005b). These theorists tell us that narratives can be understood as identities, and that through self-authoring we draw on cultural models and tools to explain ourselves to ourselves and others. In the analysis, I focus on how the students position themselves and others and are positioned by the social practices they participate in, and the discourses and cultural models they draw on. The focus is on showing how the students’ answers increase in complexity from initial and seemingly rational answers of why they have chosen mathematics, to more complex stories revealing prevalent and sometimes contradicting discourses and influence from cultural models and significant others. My analysis of the students’ stories will show that actually choice is not just a question of ‘I’m doing this because it’s good for my career’ but ‘I’m doing this because of the person I am’. This study shows how there are more cultural similarities in the students’ accounts of choosing post-compulsory mathematics than differences, both between the individual accounts and between the two groups of students. This report shows how choice is far more complex than many says, and I ask the question if choice is so complex that in a way maybe it doesn’t make any sense to talk about or use the word choice at all.