Australia currently faces a skill shortage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions unlikely to improve if the current trend of low enrolments in high-level mathematics in secondary school continues. Many factors seem to contribute to this trend, and amongst them, research recognises student "attitudes"…

This article discusses "Choice and Challenge" as a tool for school improvement and as a "practicable pedagogy" that attempts to embody the principles of "learning without limits," rejecting ability grouping and labelling. As considered here, "Choice and Challenge" emerges specifically from practice at the…

The importance of actively engaging in mathematics discourse in order to learn mathematics is well recognized. In this paper, I use Basil Bernstein's concepts of pedagogic discourse to document and analyse academic learning time of students in Years 8 and 9 at a suburban lower secondary school: in particular, for what proportion of class time…

Guided reading is widely perceived to be tricky in English primary schools; prior research has found difficulties with teacher interpretation and implementation. The study reported here suggests that to understand the problems associated with it we should also take into account pupils' perspectives on their guided reading lessons. In this case,…

This document presents a review of evidence commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation to inform the guidance document "Improving Mathematics in Key Stages Two and Three" (Education Endowment Foundation, 2017). The review draws on a substantial parallel study by the same research team, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which…

This Grounded Theory study explored the identity development of four current and two former Reading Recovery students. The study focused on the interactions between self-efficacy, self-regulation and identity as students participated in the Reading Recovery intervention to capture change over time in the identity development of students who…

In this qualitative study, I examined and interpreted the literacy instruction of a fourth grade instructor who identified herself as a student-centered teacher. I sought to understand and interpret the beliefs and attitudes of my participant, Julie. Through seven unstructured interviews and five observations, I collected, and simultaneously…

This article reports the findings of a case study which examined a pull-out strategy for provision for mathematically able children in a primary school in London. The research investigated how the needs of a group of pupils, identified as able mathematicians, were being met through a special small group that works outside the regular mathematics…

Mathematics education reform emphasises the need to move away from transmission models of teaching to discursive classroom practices in which students negotiate and justify solutions to problems. This shift has potential, but not inevitable, implications for students' mathematical identities with respect to their sense of ownership and…

This action research project report summarizes the methods used to reduce boredom and frustration and increase students' academic motivation in three mixed-ability classrooms. This action research project included 21 third grade students, 23 fifth grade students, and 28 eighth grade students (n=72) during the dates of September 10, 2007, through…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the ways in which class size affected other facets of the educational environment of the classroom. The study focused on the commonly found positive relationship between class size and achievement. The most plausible explanation of the evidence seems to involve the effects of grouping more able…

Background: The need for effective teachers to reflect on their students' thinking is now generally recognized. Moreover, the study of students' conceptions of learning and their impact on learning outcomes has become a popular area of research. But are teachers aware of their students' conceptions and do they reflect on them when planning their…

The attitudes, feelings, and self-concept of 30 sixth-grade children from high reading groups and 30 from low reading groups as related to ability grouping in the teaching of reading were examined in this study. The Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale, the San Diego County Inventory of Reading Attitude, and an interview schedule developed…

Describes a long-term project in which elementary school teachers made fundamental changes in their reading/writing program, and came to a better understanding of their students' development as readers and writers by listening to children. Notes that children helped those with learning difficulties participate in the regular class upon elimination…

Why are some students more likely to succeed in or fail mathematics than their peers, in spite of similar learning opportunities? Frequently such differences have been framed within liberal or even conservative discourses that identify purportedly innate dispositions, such as the ability or intelligence, as the root of differential success.…