Abstract
AbstractThis article considers the move in mathematics education, away from abstract calculations and toward ‘mathematics in context’, particularly in relation to female underachievement in the mathematics classroom. It is suggested that ‘unreal’ contexts, which require students to view school mathematics as useful only in the make‐believe world created in the classroom, are particularly damaging for girls. A small‐scale piece of research is reviewed which suggests that girls are more likely than boys to underachieve in contexts which present real world variables but do not allow the variables to be taken into account. The implications of this situation in relation to girls' reported underachievement and disinterest in school mathematics are discussed.
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