Influence of the institutional context on mathematics teachers’ work in technical and vocational higher education in Chile

Abstract

First year dropout rates in the system of technical and vocational higher education (ESTP) in Chile is greater than 30%. One of the main reasons of this rate is the teaching and learning of mathematics. Institutions understand this and promote different policy in order to improve this indicator. However, there is little research on the effect of these initiatives on mathematics teachers in general. This article seeks to understand the relationship between the institutional context and what happens with mathematics teachers in ESTP, using the perspectives of professional obligations and sensemaking. Through interviews and group discussions with administrators and teachers, we found that institutional policy is not designed to support teachers’ work and sometimes obstruct good classroom work. We discuss implications and recommendation for the whole ESTP system.