TY - JOUR
T1 - Access to senior secondary science and mathematics
T2 - Examining the evidence for stratification in an Australian school system
AU - Dean, Jenny
AU - Roberts, Philip
AU - Murphy, Steve
N1 - Funding Information:
Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions. The research was funded under Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award 2020–2022 (DE200100953).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - This research investigates access to senior school science and mathematics subjects offered in the final year of secondary schooling. Using data from the most populous Australian state of New South Wales, we examine whether stratification occurs in access to science and mathematics curricula. We find that the opportunity to study these subjects differs by key school characteristics, including location, socioeconomic composition and school sector. We find that while some science subjects and entry level mathematics are offered in most schools, substantial inequalities exist in access to the most advanced level of mathematics and chemistry. School location, socioeconomic composition, enrolment size and the availability of teachers predict the probability of whether a school offers the least and most advanced science and mathematics subjects. The findings highlight that stratification in curricula offerings occurs systemically and may intensify educational inequalities.
AB - This research investigates access to senior school science and mathematics subjects offered in the final year of secondary schooling. Using data from the most populous Australian state of New South Wales, we examine whether stratification occurs in access to science and mathematics curricula. We find that the opportunity to study these subjects differs by key school characteristics, including location, socioeconomic composition and school sector. We find that while some science subjects and entry level mathematics are offered in most schools, substantial inequalities exist in access to the most advanced level of mathematics and chemistry. School location, socioeconomic composition, enrolment size and the availability of teachers predict the probability of whether a school offers the least and most advanced science and mathematics subjects. The findings highlight that stratification in curricula offerings occurs systemically and may intensify educational inequalities.
KW - Australia
KW - Curriculum
KW - Educational equity
KW - School stratification
KW - Secondary education
KW - STEM education
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85175968068&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s12564-023-09908-3
DO - 10.1007/s12564-023-09908-3
M3 - Article
SN - 1598-1037
VL - 25
SP - 1345
EP - 1362
JO - Asia Pacific Education Review
JF - Asia Pacific Education Review
IS - 5
ER -