The Widening Gap — A Swedish Perspective

• Transition problems from secondary to tertiary level in mathematics have been arecurrent issue in Sweden. This paper summarises the development during the lastdecades. Results from two recent research studies that illuminate the transitionproblem are presented. The first one, based on empirical data from a major Swedishtechnical university, characterises the widening gap, in content and in approach,between secondary school and first year university courses. The second study dealswith students’ encounters with mathematical proof and is based on a largeinvestigation at another main Swedish university. We discuss the influence on thecurrent transition problems of school reforms and of the great expansion of highereducation in Sweden during the last 10 – 15 years in view of the results from theresearch studies.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik -- Annan matematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics -- Other Mathematics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Tranistion

mathematics

upper secondary school

tertiary level

university level

Stadieövergång

matematik

gymansium

högskola

transition

Mathematics

education

tertiary

secondary

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)