Choosing Further Mathematics

Abstract

Education in the UK is failing to provide the increases in the numbers of school-leavers with science and mathematics qualifications required by industry, business and the research community to assure the UK's future economic competitiveness" (The Royal Society, 2008, p17). Furthermore, the proportion of students in Wales following mathematics courses post 16 is lower than in England (GSR, 2014). In particular, although the situation has improved, fewer students in Wales choose to study for the Further Mathematics (FM) A-level. This paper explores the reasons behind student choices in studying mathematics between the ages of 16 and 18, with a particular focus on the FM A-level, in order to make recommendations about how to increase participation in FM. Phase One of the study used a questionnaire to access the opinions of students studying mathematically based courses in sixth forms and colleges to explore the reasons behind their choices and the factors influencing their progression in mathematics. In Phase Two, small focus groups of students in selected schools and colleges were interviewed to enrich the questionnaire data and provide further insight into their decisions. The study identified a lack of information from peers, siblings, parents and teachers about FM as a factor restricting choice. Current models of delivery contribute to the false perception that the FM A-level is harder than the Mathematics A-level and only suitable for the most talented mathematicians. We suggest: developing teachers' knowledge and skills so that whenever possible students can be offered FM as a fully timetabled subject; promoting FM to parents; and establishing student champions to encourage participation.

Further Mathematics, student choice and transition to university: part 1 - Mathematics degrees

“…At present Mathematics is the most popular A-level with 11.5% of all A-level students awarded the qualification in 2017, while Further Mathematics is one of the least popular options with only 1.8% of students studying the subject in 2017 (JCQ, 2017). However, the current uptake is a substantial improvement on the participation rates a decade ago (see Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate (2016) for selected data). Participation in Further Mathematics has been restricted in part due to a lack of qualified teachers, timetabling issues and financial constraints in schools and colleges.…”

“…This effect could be exacerbated in Further Mathematics in part due to its perception amongst students as the most challenging A-level subject (Hillman, 2014) and also because the FMSP approach to tuition expects a lot from students in terms of workload and self-study. To address this, it has been argued that whenever possible students should be offered Further Mathematics as a fully timetabled option in their school (see Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate (2016) for a discussion).…”

“…The principal factors reported to influence Further Mathematics choice include positive attitudes to mathematics as well as the intention to take a degree with high mathematical content (Darlington, 2015a;Bowyer & Darlington, 2016;Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate, 2016). But a lack of role models and a lack of an appreciation of the qualification amongst parents have been observed as factors limiting participation (Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate, 2016).…”

“…The principal factors reported to influence Further Mathematics choice include positive attitudes to mathematics as well as the intention to take a degree with high mathematical content (Darlington, 2015a;Bowyer & Darlington, 2016;Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate, 2016). But a lack of role models and a lack of an appreciation of the qualification amongst parents have been observed as factors limiting participation (Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate, 2016). Lord & Lee (2017) state that while 64% of all students in England took three A-level subjects in the 2016/17 academic year, 52% of Further Mathematics students took four or more subjects, implying that Further Mathematics is often their "fourth subject" taken in addition to their other subject choices.…”

“…Indeed, the transition from school to undergraduate mathematics is a focus in the ongoing reforms of both A-levels and mathematics education in England and Wales in general (see e.g., ALCAB, 2014;. This is the first paper in a two-part study of undergraduate students and Further Mathematics and follows on from an earlier study of school children (Tanner, Lyakhova & Neate, 2016).…”