A comparison of teacher and lecturer perspectives on the transition from secondary to tertiary mathematics education.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Hong, Ye Yoon; Kerr, Suzanne; Klymchuk, Sergiy; McHardy, Johanna; Murphy, Priscilla; Spencer, Sue; Thomas, Michael O.J.; Watson, Peter
- Source
- International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science & Technology. 2009, Vol. 40 Issue 7, p877-889. 13p. 2 Graphs.
- Subject
- *MATHEMATICS education
*CURRICULUM research
*POSTSECONDARY education
*SECONDARY education
*UNIVERSITIES & colleges
*LECTURERS
*CALCULUS
*TEACHERS
*COMMUNICATION
- Language
- ISSN
- 0020-739X
The transition from school to tertiary study of mathematics comes under increasing scrutiny in research. This article reports on some findings from a project analysing the transition from secondary to tertiary education in mathematics. One key variable in this transition is the teacher or lecturer. This article deals with a small part of the data from the project-analysing secondary teachers' and lecturers' responses to questions on the differences they perceive between school and university and the importance of calculus, a bridging content. The results provide evidence of similarities and differences in the thinking of teachers and lecturers about the transition process. They also show that each group lacks a clear understanding of the issues involved in the transition from the other's perspective, and there is a great need for improved communication between the two sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]