The teaching of mathematics in vocational education and training: The influence of the context on students´ motivation and study results.

Research literature indicates that mathematics teaching in vocational education and training in upper secondary school in Sweden mainly focuses on formal academic mathematics and that the link to the labour market is weak.

Many students have poor mathematical skills and have low motivation to learn mathematics because they cannot see its relevance for their future vocation.

Unfortunately, this may cause problems for students to get access to the labour market, since they do not meet the working life´s requirements of mathematical knowledge.

The aim of this project is to investigate how mathematics in vocational education and training can be organised to support students for their future profession.

In particular the study will include interventions in different contexts (in a regular classroom and in a workplace authentic environment) to explore the effects of these interventions on the students´ mathematical skills and their motivation to learn mathematics.

The study has a longitudinal design using pre- and post- tests and questionnaires to collect data before and after the interventions, and 12 and 18 months later, to investigate if the effect is permanent. The study draw from Self-determination theory concerning students’ motivation and students’ knowledge.

The project is four years long and runs by three researchers from Linköping University.