Trends in Calculus-Based Mathematics in the New Senior Secondary Queensland Certificate of Education
Conference Contribution ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
The new Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) curricula was introduced in 2019, offering senior secondary students four mathematics options to study: Essential Mathematics, General Mathematics, Mathematical Methods and Specialist Mathematics. Methods and Specialist are calculus-based options, and provide broader and diverse career opportunities post-secondary. This paper investigated senior secondary students’ enrolment in calculus-based mathematics options between 2019 and 2020 in Queensland state schools from different districts. Quantitative methods were applied to analyse student participation using data from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA), Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS); schools’ Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) values from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA); and schools transfer ratings from the Department of Education (DoE).Results show a high dropout rate in calculus-based options as students progressed into their initial course/s of study. Trends show that the SEIFA Indexes, schools’ ICSEA Indexes, schools transfer ratings positively correlate with student dropouts. The study argues for resources to be made available to promote continued students’ participation and achievement. Targeted support for schools located in low socioeconomic areas and having high transfer ratings is significant to promote the uptake and continued participation in calculus-based mathematics. Keywords: Calculus-based mathematics, Socioeconomic status, School transfer rating, Students participation, Dropout.
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ICEMST Conference
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978-1-952092-36-7
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26
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Antalya, Turkey
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ISTES
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Monument, CO, USA
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