Participation and the Mathematics Deterrent

Benn, Roseanne; Burton, Rob

doi:10.1080/02660830.1994.11730608

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…On the basis of data gathered from a national survey of Access courses [18], it became clear that, as with Anderson's work, Access mathematics tutors were succeeding with groups who had low levels of general education and very low levels of earlier achievement and confidence in mathematics. Access courses are targeted at those groups traditionally under-represented in higher education namely women, ethnic minorities, unemployed and those from working class backgrounds.…”

Section: R Benn and R Burtonmentioning

confidence: 95%

Absolutism and Eurocentrism in Mathematics and the Access alternative

Benn

Burton

1996

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and

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Eleven years of schooling has seemingly failed to provide many students with even basic mathematical skills and has imbibed within many of them a maths phobia which acts as a further barrier to their hopes and aspirations of entering higher education. The problem for Access mathematics tutors is how to break down the very real fear of maths and how to build upon the motivations and commitment these students bring to their pursuit of higher education. This paper is concerned with the philosophy of mathematics and the absolutist approach still being used in schools and colleges in Great Britain. It raises issues of Eurocentricity and explains how Access tutors and other mathematics practitioners have designed courses which dispel maths phobia and make maths an interesting, enjoyable and relevant subject. It will explain how practitioners in the field, who are teaching these often disadvantaged groups, have developed alternative approaches. They set mathematics in a historical, cultural and socio-political environment and they ensure a more relevant syllabus set in the context of every-day life. They ensure mathematics is seen like other disciplines as a negotiated journey, a quest and a voyage of discovery. The main result is an increase in student motivation with subsequent increases in success. This practice, although perhaps pragmatic rather than theoretical in origin, reflects the view of philosophers such as Wittgenstein that mathematics far from being a body of truth is in fact a collection of norms. And, most interestingly, this practice appears to work.

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Section: R Benn and R Burtonmentioning

confidence: 95%

Absolutism and Eurocentrism in Mathematics and the Access alternative

Benn

Burton

1996

International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and

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“…Fitz-Gibbon (1999) suggests that there are long-term career and earnings implications of 'dropping' mathematics post-16, but longitudinal research on how decisions about maths learning impact on career opportunities later on is needed. Benn & Burton (1994) state that lack of achievement in Maths at school can be a barrier to entry into HE, but that many adults re-entering education (e.g. on Access courses) are motivated to work on their maths and numeracy skills because they have a speci c goal in mind.…”

Section: What Can Be Done To Help Students Experiencing Problems Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Negative attitudes and beliefs have been found in school pupils (Burton, 1986;Walden & Walkerdine, 1985;Walkerdine, 1998), adults in post-compulsory education (Benn & Burton, 1994) and undergraduates in the USA (Tobias, 1980;Hembree, 1990) and Israel (Zeidner, 1991). Betz (1978) noted that a considerable proportion of American undergraduates were nervous, uneasy or confused about mathematics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Can we Make Maths Count at HE?

Mackenzie¹

2002

Journal of Further and Higher Education

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The Dearing Report highlighted the need for HE programmes to enhance students' basic skills, and one of these is numeracy skill. There is a history of low con dence and negative attitudes to learning about numbers and 'maths anxiety' in undergraduates which means that delivering 'numerate graduates' may be something of a challenge to HE institutions. This college surveyed attitudes to numeracy and learning about numbers in all rst-year students (over 1000 students). Over 40% of students returned their questionnaires. This survey found considerable negative attitudes and low con dence among respondents as a whole (25% of those who returned the questionnaire), and anxiety was highest (over 40%) in students taking a Humanities programme. This raises considerable concern about how we can deliver numeracy to students in HE. The ndings of the survey, gender issues and the individualised concept of 'maths anxiety' are discussed in relation to the social and cultural construction of attitudes to maths and maths con dence as empowerment (Benn, 1997). The main conclusion is that HE institutions need to consider carefully how to provide good educational opportunities for individuals with low motivation to engage in maths-related activity. There is also an urgent need to challenge cultural myths and stereotyping relating to maths learning if we want the next generation of graduates to have more con dence in their maths skills.

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“…Mathematics is, therefore, powerful and crucial for future citizens (Hoyles & Noss, 2000). However, Benn (1997) reports that the majority of adults have probably had a traumatic school experience with mathematics. Thus, if a real-life problem is thought to involve mathematics, then it can be avoided, and rather than performing school mathematics confidently and competently, various alternative strategies can be employed (Ashcraft & Kirk, 2001).…”

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Exploring Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of the Barriers to Mathematical Literacy Development

Genç

Erbaş²

2020

IJMTL

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The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary mathematics teachers' conceptions of the barriers to the development of mathematical literacy. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with sixteen in-service mathematics teachers from nine secondary schools of five different school types. The data analysis consisted of an inductive analysis process for identifying and labeling the patterns or themes through examining interview data with the help of NVivo qualitative data analysis software. The results indicated that teachers' conceptions regarding the barriers to mathematical literacy development could be categorized under: (i) conceptual challenges (What is mathematical literacy?); (ii) educational challenges (How can we develop mathematical literacy?); and (iii) systemic challenges (Where is mathematical literacy (to be) located?). The teachers' identification of different obstacles to the development of mathematical literacy can account for the fact that each teacher in this study has diverse but convergent conceptions of mathematical literacy. This fact also promises hope for assisting teachers in resolving these obstacles that have been raised from various angles.

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Participation and the Mathematics Deterrent

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

Absolutism and Eurocentrism in Mathematics and the Access alternative

Absolutism and Eurocentrism in Mathematics and the Access alternative

Can we Make Maths Count at HE?

Exploring Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of the Barriers to Mathematical Literacy Development

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