Concerned about their learning: mathematics students with chronic illness and their teachers at school

Abstract

Chronic illness often goes hand-in-hand with absence from school, and students miss out on learning opportunities at school for extended or accumulative periods of time. Many young people seek to continue their school studies nonetheless. The need to consider viable ways to support them academically arose in the context of a project called Link ‘n Learn funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant (2008–2010). This paper reports on one aspect of the project – an in-depth qualitative case study of 22 participants: senior secondary students with diverse types of chronic illness who were continuing their studies during absence from school and their mathematics teachers. The study found that the students’ concerns centred on academic issues – their perceived need for support from and interaction with their teachers. The teachers' concerns focused on medical issues – their students having to manage illness. Facilitators of these students' ability to continue studying included their ambition, perseverance with independent learning, initiative in seeking help, and quick recovery from medical treatment cycles. Teacher-related facilitators included the teachers' willingness to interact using communication media, confidence in initiating contact, and ability to modify their students' learning programme. Other facilitators included a responsive school technology department, technology tutoring from students, and the involvement of family members or tutors. Outcomes for students and teachers of their interactions with each other during lengthy periods of absence, and implications for schools, are discussed.

Keywords:

• chronic illness
• school absence
• academic continuity
• student–teacher interaction
• technology-mediated communication
• secondary mathematics

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge with appreciation the students, teachers, and RCH Education Institute staff who contributed to the study on which this article is based. Dr Tony Jones and Associate Professor Anne McDougall from the University of Melbourne are acknowledged as Chief Investigators for the Australian Research Council (ARC) Link ‘n Learn project (2008–2010), of which this study was part. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ARC. I am indebted to Professor Lyn Yates, Chief Investigator for the ARC-funded Keeping Connected project (2007–2009), for her review of the analysis and insightful guidance in the final stages of the research.

Special thanks to Professor Philip Clarkson for his feedback on earlier drafts of this article.

Notes on contributor

Karina J. Wilkie (PhD, University of Melbourne) is a researcher and lecturer in mathematics education for undergraduate and postgraduate pre-service teachers. She has taught in schools for nearly twenty years across the full range of year levels from Preparatory to Year 12. She has been a Numeracy coordinator in two schools, taught as a primary numeracy specialist, and has written literacy and numeracy curriculum documentation for a number of schools. She has taught mathematics at senior secondary levels in Australia and at A-levels in England where she lived for three years. She also holds a Master of Information Technology from Deakin University. Karina is a member of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA) and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE). She is currently involved in the Contemporary Teaching and Learning of Mathematics (CTLM) research project at the Australian Catholic University, Victoria. Her research interests include mathematics teaching and learning, curriculum design, assessment, and technology-facilitated teaching and learning.

Notes

1. Phrases in italics are the types of concerns for which the students and teachers indicated their level of concern on a 4-point scale. They also made additional written and verbal comments about their concerns throughout their participation.