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The school–tertiary interface in mathematics: teaching style and assessment practice

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Abstract

Issues arising in the transition from secondary school to tertiary mathematics study are increasingly coming under scrutiny. In this paper, we analyse two practical aspects of the school–tertiary interface: teaching style; and assessment. We present some of the findings arising from a 2-year national project in New Zealand titled “Analysing the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education in Mathematics” supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Education. The results provide evidence of similarities and differences between teachers and lecturers in their preferred teaching approaches and assessment strategies that contribute to a transitional gap between the school and tertiary sectors. The results 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 need for improved communication between the two sectors.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the New Zealand Ministry of Education for providing funding through a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative grant, organised through the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, which enabled this research to take place. We also recognise the assistance in the research project of Ye Yoon Hong, Suzanne Kerr, Johanna McHardy, Priscilla Murphy, Sue Spencer and Peter Watson.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Michael O. J. Thomas

  2. School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Sergiy Klymchuk

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  1. Michael O. J. Thomas
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  2. Sergiy Klymchuk
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Correspondence to Sergiy Klymchuk.

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Thomas, M.O.J., Klymchuk, S. The school–tertiary interface in mathematics: teaching style and assessment practice. Math Ed Res J 24, 283–300 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-012-0051-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-012-0051-6

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