Junior Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives on the Transition of Year 7 into Secondary Schooling in Queensland

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of Junior Secondary teachers in two Queensland schools following the 2015 transition of Year 7 students from primary school to secondary school. There is a well-documented shortage of suitably qualified mathematics teachers in secondary schools in Queensland. A significant concern is that this potential shortage will be worsened with the new cohort of Year 7 students entering secondary schooling, as the demand for qualified mathematics teachers will increase. We use a Teacher Identify Framework to identify whether Junior Secondary mathematics teachers felt their self-reported level of mathematical knowledge was sufficient for this task.