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Bridging the primary to secondary school mathematics divide: Teachers' perspectives

Prendergast, Mark orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1766-7421, O'Meara, Niamh, O'Hara, Clare, Harbison, Lorraine orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-1945-7241 and Cantley, Ian (2019) Bridging the primary to secondary school mathematics divide: Teachers' perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 29 (1). pp. 243-260. ISSN 1837-6290

Abstract
The transition from primary to secondary school is regarded as one of the most difficult crossings in students' educational careers. The move, which typically occurs between the ages of twelve and fourteen, can be particularly pronounced for mathematics. This article describes the results of a questionnaire distributed in the Republic of Ireland in which the views of primary and secondary teachers were ascertained with regard to the transition process. A total of 298 primary and 173 secondary teachers completed the questionnaire. Results showed that teachers at both levels identified similar issues such as a lack of continuity between curricula, a lack of knowledge of each other's curriculum and a lack of communication between both levels. Many of the teachers' suggestions on how the transition process could be improved centred on these issues, as well as highlighting a need to provide joint professional development opportunities for teachers.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Transition; primary school; secondary school; mathematics; teachers’ perspectives
Subjects:UNSPECIFIED
DCU Faculties and Centres:UNSPECIFIED
Publisher:IIER
Official URL:http://www.iier.org.au/iier29/prendergast-abs.html
Copyright Information:Open access
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
Funders:Irish Research Council
ID Code:23046
Deposited On:04 Mar 2019 10:39 by Lorraine Harbison . Last Modified 13 Aug 2020 16:14
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