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In our editorial for volume 21 issue 1 (Jones, Black, & Coles, 2019) we looked back over the previous 21 years of Research in Mathematics Education (RME) to celebrate its growth and development and...

The aim of this article is to explore the structure of social capital in peer networks and its relation to the unequal access of educational resources within mathematics classrooms. We hypothesise that learners can gain access to mathematics through friendship networks which provide more or less help from peers that might sustain (or curtail) their mathematics learning based on a Bourdieusian framework. We report a social network analysis of mutually-recognised helping within friendship groups. This is complemented by observation and interviews that illustrate how different classrooms have different network structures, positioning learners of different ethnic minorities and genders in significantly different ways regarding access to learning. We argue that friendship networks mediate social capital and access to further cultural capital, and that this may help explain structural differences in attainment. Because ethnicity and gender, inter alia, mediate friendship networks, they also mediate access to capital in the classroom.

Mathematics has long been known to be problematic for university engineering students and their teachers, for example, Scanlan.[1] This paper presents recent data gathered from interviews with engineering students who experienced problems with mathematics and their lecturers during their transition through the first year in different programme contexts. Our interviews with the students reveal how they understand the relation between engineering and mathematics and we draw on the concept of ‘use- and exchange-value’ to explore this relationship more fully. This paper challenges both the pedagogical practice of teaching non-contextualized mathematics and the lack of transparency regarding the significance of mathematics to engineering. We conclude that the value of mathematics in engineering remains a central problem, and argue that mathematics should be a fundamental concern in the design and practice of first-year engineering.

We examine the transition from school (compulsory education) to college (post-compulsory/pre-university) of students who are continuing their mathematical education. Previous work on transition between institutions suggests that transitional problems can be critical, and students often regard mathematics as ‘difficult’ during transitional periods. However, our analysis of students' interviews showed a more positive discourse, one of reported challenge, growth and achievement; transition was not seen as an obstacle but as an opportunity to develop a new identity. Particularly in relation to mathematics, this was reflected in a need for a better understanding of the subject, and for being more responsible for their learning. Thus, we propose to re-think transition as a question of identity in which persons see themselves developing due to the distinct social and academic demands that the new institution poses. Conceptualising transition in this way could have important practical implications for the way tha...

We seek to illuminate reasons why undertaking mathematics coursework assessment as part of an alternative post-compulsory, pre-university scheme led to higher rates of retention and completion than the traditional route. We focus on the students’ experience of mathematical activity during coursework tasks, which we observed to be qualitatively different to most of the other learning activities observed in lessons. Our analysis of interviews found that these activities offered: (i) a perceived greater depth of understanding; (ii) motivation and learning through modelling and use of technology; (iii) changes in pedagogies and learning activities that supported student-centred learning; and (iv) assessment that better suited some students. Teachers’ interviews reinforced these categories and highlighted some motivational aspects of learning that activity during coursework tasks appears to provide. Thus, we suggest that this experience offered some students different learning opportunities, and that this is a...

This paper reports how students talk about their aspirations in regard to higher education (HE) and their mathematics, what ‘repertoires’ they use to mediate this discourse, and how students’ predominant ‘repertoire style’ relates to their cultural background. Our analyses draw on an interview sample (n=40) of students selected because they are ‘on the cusp’ of participation or non‐participation in mathematically demanding programmes in further and higher education. The interviews explored the students’ aspirations for their future in general and HE in particular, influences on these choices, and the place of mathematics in these. Thematic analysis revealed four interpretative repertoires commonly in use, which we call ‘becoming successful’, ‘personal satisfaction’, ‘vocational’, and ‘idealist’ repertoires. Most of the sample was found to use a single, predominant repertoire, which we call their repertoire ‘style’: what is more, this style is found to be strongly related to background factors independentl...

Recently, classroom talk has re-emerged within educational policy as instrumental in delivering standards-based reform in several counties. In England, both the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies and the National Strategy for Key Stage 3 emphasised the importance of interactive whole class teaching' (IWT) where pupils are expected to play an active part by answering questions, contributing points to discussions, and explaining and demonstrating their methods and solutions to others in the class' (DfEE, 2001: 26). The aim is to increase the quality of teaching and learning in both the primary and secondary classroom by engaging pupils and demanding active participation. This paper explores the pedagogic value of interactive forms of whole class teaching from a sociocultural standpoint and considers whether policy guidelines (such as those referred to above) incorporate an understanding of teacher - pupil talk which is likely to be effective in terms of promoting children's learning. It also consider...

The shape and form of effective teacher–pupil talk has recently become the focus of attention within policy guidelines such as the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies. Prior to this, research on classroom discourse has established that social context plays an important role in determining the quality of teacher–pupil talk since it directs teachers' and pupils' interpretations of what is said. This paper presents a multi-layered approach to the analysis of whole-class discussions which highlights the impact of wider, institutional and historical aspects of the classroom context on the meanings relayed within interactions. Video and audio data, collected over a five-month period of participant observation in a primary school mathematics classroom, highlights how issues such as teacher expectations and time pressure influence the quality of interactions pupils experience. The paper concludes that teacher–pupil interactions play an instrumental role in determining the social positioning of pupils within...

Recent legislation by the Department for Education and Employment requires schools to produce written home-school agreements, which should be signed by teachers and parents. Among the benefits expected from this initiative is the creation of a greater sense of partnership between home and school, especially with regard to difficult pupil behaviour. However, research has shown that teachers view parents as being the major cause of pupil misbehaviour, thus creating a potential barrier to a genuine partnership around agreed strategies involving home and school. There is also a belief among teachers that strategies devised for one pupil will lead to negative reactions on the part of classmates. This study examines various aspects of the classroom culture (the belief systems of teachers and pupils) concerning interventions with individual pupils, their teachers and parents. A vignette incorporating elements from two real and successful home-school interventions set up with, and mediated by, educational psychol...