ERIC Number: EJ1395449
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: EISSN-1464-5211
Incentivising Student Enrolments in Secondary Mathematics Courses: Is a 10% Bonus Enough?
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v54 n8 p1581-1597 2023
This replicated research project [see Hine, G. S. C. (2019). Reasons why I didn't enrol in a higher-level mathematics course: Listening to the voice of Australian senior secondary students. "Research in Mathematics Education," 21(3), 295-313. https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2102/10.1080/14794802.2019.15999982019] explored the reasons why senior secondary (i.e. Year 11 and Year 12) students elected not to enrol in a higher-level mathematics course. For this project, all senior secondary Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) students within Western Australian schools (aged 17-18 years) were invited to participate in an anonymous, online survey comprised predominantly of qualitative items. The researcher analysed 1633 ATAR students' perspectives of enrolments in mathematics courses, according to a symbolic interactionist paradigm. Reasons included the extent to which students feel higher-level courses are too challenging, time-consuming, not required for university nor future life, and requiring more effort and stress to complete than lower-level mathematics courses. Especially outlined is the extent to which participants feel a 10% bonus is a sufficient incentive to increase higher-level course enrolments, an extension of the original project. Participants indicated a range of responses either supporting or opposing this incentive. While approximately 47% of participants agree that the incentive is sufficient, a small proportion of these supporters offer their agreement conditionally. Within the proportion asserting the incentive is insufficient, a majority of participants suggested that a higher percentage bonus should be offered to students enrolled in Mathematics Specialist.
Descriptors: Incentives, Enrollment, Secondary School Students, Mathematics Education, Foreign Countries, Student Attitudes, Student Recruitment, Grade 11, Grade 12, Catholic Schools, Private Schools, Public Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 11; High Schools; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A