research Summary
Participation and achievement in mathematics is a social justice issue. But in Norway, as in many other countries, attainment and engagement in mathematics correlates with socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. International tests and national patterns of attainment also suggest that many students in Norway do not reach their full potential.
The Inclusive Mathematics Teaching (IMaT) project addresses the need to make mathematics teaching in Norway more inclusive by:
- surveying schools across Norway to find out more about how they organise education in mathematics, and the impact of different strategies on student outcomes
- surveying and interviewing leaders, teachers and students to find out about their experience of mathematics teaching
- working with a group of schools and municipalities to understand their processes of decision-making about how teaching is organised
- looking closely at classrooms to understand teachers’ practice, and how students engage with mathematics
- developing and evaluating an intervention based on Realistic Mathematics Education, known for its positive impact on attainment and engagement across the range of ages and abilities
Based at OsloMet University, the project team brings together sociologists of education, mathematics education specialists, teacher educators, curriculum materials designers, educational researchers and statisticians.