The transition from primary to secondary education is one of the greatest challenges that young people experience during their school years. Internationally, much research has been carried out to investigate this transition and the issues surrounding it in more detail. According to Bicknell, Burgess and Hunter (2009) such issues are complex and involve challenges from a social, academic and systematic perspective. Some of the resulting consequences are a decline in students’ attitudes, academic performance and confidence (Attard, 2010; Paul, 2014). In mathematics, in particular, students’ attitudes have been found to become more negative after they transition from primary to secondary school (Galton et al., 2003; Grootenboer & Marshman, 2016). This deterioration in students’ attitudes towards mathematics during the period of transition was mirrored in findings reported by the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) large-scale international comparative study conducted in 2011. On average, across the countries that participated in the TIMSS fourth grade study, 84% of 9-10 year old students (upper primary school students) reported that they either liked or somewhat liked learning mathematics, while 16% indicated that they did not like learning mathematics. However, for the countries participating in the eighth grade study, 68% of 13-14 year old students (lower second level students) on average either liked or somewhat liked learning mathematics, and 31% did not like learning mathematics (Mullis et al., 2012). Therefore the transition from primary to secondary mathematics would appear to be a potential time when students begin to develop more negative dispositions to the subject.
In light of such issues, and as part of their 2015 New Foundations Scheme, the Irish Research Council funded research with the specific goal of investigating issues surrounding the transition from primary to secondary mathematics education in Irish schools . Two of key aims were to:
• Determine primary and secondary mathematics teachers’ opinions on the key barriers to successful transition.
• Establish teachers’ levels of awareness of each other’s curriculums at the key transition stages of both sixth class and first year.