Smith, C; (2013) Choosing the Future: A-level Mathematics. In: Leslie, D and Mendick, H, (eds.) Debates in Mathematics Education. (pp. 196-206). Routledge: London, UK.

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Abstract

In this chapter I look at two questions that concern policy and research in post-compulsory mathematics. The questions are: * How can we understand and compare different mathematical courses of study? * How can we understand students’ choices to study mathematics? / As in most long-lasting education debates, the answers are not simple: they depend on how you approach - and theorise - education, what you think is convincing evidence, and whether you are setting out to understand mathematics in schools or to change it. I discuss these ideas in the context of A-levels: the standard university preparation in England and Wales where 16-year-olds choose typically only three or four subjects to study over two years. In doing so I introduce some of my own research, notably my perspective that the ways that we understand and try to change school mathematics are not just about mathematics but also about how we view adolescence and progress.

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