Institutional transitions related to mathematics in economics education: from school to university and from mathematics to economics

Abstract

This thesis addresses the international problem of high drop-out and failure rates in the service mathematics course for economics education. The problem is addressed by investigating the institutional transitions students must make related to mathematics as they move from upper secondary school to university economics education. The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the limited research on transitions related to mathematics in economics education, and to provide educators with research based and practical insights and examples for addressing various aspects of the transition challenges.

The overarching research framework of the thesis aligns with the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic, especially focusing on the alignment of the knowledge to be taught in the different courses. The transitions are explored in terms of relations that students must establish to the institutional knowledge. The basis for the thesis constitutes five empirical studies that, from an institutional research perspective, investigate the transitions. That is, the transition from school mathematics to service mathematics in a first phase and from service mathematics to mathematics used in economics courses in a second phase. In the studies both qualitative and quantitative research approaches are used.

In the literature review, Article 1, three categories of transition issues specific for mathematics related to economics education are identified: issues of heterogenous mathematics background in the student group, issues of mismatch in expectations about mathematics level and demand, and issues of relevance of mathematics. The first two issues, which consider the vertical institutional transition from upper secondary school to university service mathematics, are addressed in Article 2 and Article 3. Specifically, the research explores the design and effect of a pre-course intervention implemented to mitigate these issues. Articles 4 and 5 delve into the issue of relevance, specifically focusing on the horizontal transition from service mathematics to economics courses using mathematics. In these articles, the relevance issue pertains to the distinct practices employed in service mathematics and microeconomics concerning the concept of the Lagrange multiplier method.

Three different approaches of qualitative text analysis were used in Articles 1, 2, 4 and 5, while regression analysis was used in Article 3. The results underscore the importance of aligning the curriculum across educational institutions to facilitate the transitions between them. Despite the division into vertical and horizontal institutional transitions, it is important to view the transition from school to university economics mathematics as a holistic process. In this context, the service mathematics course plays a crucial role in bridging the educational institutions and facilitating students’ progression between them. The results also point to various potential areas for future research, which are essential for enhancing the teaching and learning of service mathematics in economics education.