<p>During my practice as a teacher trainee at an upper secondary school it became clear to me that many pupils had difficulties with mathematics. I was surprised to find that many pupils seemed to get stuck on the level of attainment for the senior level of the nine-year compulsory school. As I have not studied anything about difficulties in Mathematics during my training to become a qualified teacher, I would like to get to know more about this.</p><p>After studying research done on this subject I made the following approach to the problem:</p><p>• What fields regarding Mathematics do the pupils themselves find most difficult?</p><p>• What factors have been contributory causes to these problems?</p><p>• What are the factors that have helped pupils with difficulties in Mathematics to reach the goals for the syllabuses in Mathematics?</p><p>The answers to my questionnaire and interviews resulted in the following conclusions:</p><p>• Pupils find theory of equation and conversion of units as most difficult at senior level of the nine-year compulsory school.</p><p>• Teaching should be done in special instruction groups to give the pupil the opportunity to develop his/her skills on an individual level.</p><p>• Pupils find it hard to deal with all moments in Mathematics during the time given for each course.</p><p>• The pace for teaching Mathematics is too high according to the pupils.</p><p>• Pupils wish for instructions on a lower level.</p><p>• There is often a lack of contact between teacher and pupil.</p><p>• The teacher should use more time to help the pupil receive good self-confidence and increase the motivation for instructions in Mathematics.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Under mina praktikperioder på gymnasiet som lärarstudent kom jag i kontakt med många elever som hade det svårt med matematiken. Jag förundrades över att många elever verkade ha fastnat på högstadiets kunskapsnivå. Då jag inte har fått någon undervisning om elever med matematiksvårigheter i min lärarutbildning, vill jag lära mig mer om detta.</p><p>Efter litteraturstudier kom jag fram till följande problemformuleringar:</p><p>• Vilka områden inom matematiken tycker eleverna själva att de har problem med?</p><p>• Vilka faktorer har bidragit till dessa problem?</p><p>• Vilka är de faktorer som har hjälpt elever med matematiksvårigheter att nå kunskapsmålen i matematik?</p><p>Som svar på mina enkät- och intervjufrågor kom jag fram till följande:</p><p>• Eleverna upplever ekvationslösning och enhetsomvandlingar som svårast på</p><p>högstadiet.</p><p>• Undervisning bör ske i särskild undervisningsgrupp, för att ge eleven möjlighet att utvecklas på sin egen nivå.</p><p>• Eleverna upplever att de inte har nog med tid för att hinna klart momenten i matematikundervisningen.</p><p>• Eleverna menar att tempot i undervisningen är för högt.</p><p>• Eleverna vill ha undervisning på en lägre nivå.</p><p>• Relationen mellan lärare och elev är ofta bristfällig.</p><p>• Läraren ska lägga mer tid på att stötta elevens självkänsla och försöka öka dennes motivation till matematikundervisningen.</p>

During my practice as a teacher trainee at an upper secondary school it became clear to me that many pupils had difficulties with mathematics. I was surprised to find that many pupils seemed to get stuck on the level of attainment for the senior level of the nine-year compulsory school. As I have not studied anything about difficulties in Mathematics during my training to become a qualified teacher, I would like to get to know more about this. After studying research done on this subject I made the following approach to the problem: • What fields regarding Mathematics do the pupils themselves find most difficult? • What factors have been contributory causes to these problems? • What are the factors that have helped pupils with difficulties in Mathematics to reach the goals for the syllabuses in Mathematics? The answers to my questionnaire and interviews resulted in the following conclusions: • Pupils find theory of equation and conversion of units as most difficult at senior level of the nine-year compulsory school. • Teaching should be done in special instruction groups to give the pupil the opportunity to develop his/her skills on an individual level. • Pupils find it hard to deal with all moments in Mathematics during the time given for each course. • The pace for teaching Mathematics is too high according to the pupils. • Pupils wish for instructions on a lower level. • There is often a lack of contact between teacher and pupil. • The teacher should use more time to help the pupil receive good self-confidence and increase the motivation for instructions in Mathematics. / Sammanfattning Under mina praktikperioder på gymnasiet som lärarstudent kom jag i kontakt med många elever som hade det svårt med matematiken. Jag förundrades över att många elever verkade ha fastnat på högstadiets kunskapsnivå. Då jag inte har fått någon undervisning om elever med matematiksvårigheter i min lärarutbildning, vill jag lära mig mer om detta. Efter litteraturstudier kom jag fram till följande problemformuleringar: • Vilka områden inom matematiken tycker eleverna själva att de har problem med? • Vilka faktorer har bidragit till dessa problem? • Vilka är de faktorer som har hjälpt elever med matematiksvårigheter att nå kunskapsmålen i matematik? Som svar på mina enkät- och intervjufrågor kom jag fram till följande: • Eleverna upplever ekvationslösning och enhetsomvandlingar som svårast på högstadiet. • Undervisning bör ske i särskild undervisningsgrupp, för att ge eleven möjlighet att utvecklas på sin egen nivå. • Eleverna upplever att de inte har nog med tid för att hinna klart momenten i matematikundervisningen. • Eleverna menar att tempot i undervisningen är för högt. • Eleverna vill ha undervisning på en lägre nivå. • Relationen mellan lärare och elev är ofta bristfällig. • Läraren ska lägga mer tid på att stötta elevens självkänsla och försöka öka dennes motivation till matematikundervisningen.

This study is about different teacher’s ´conception of remedial classes and its function in Today´s School. “A school for everyone” the utopia that all schools and teachers aspire for. All pupils, regardless of ethnic background, class, and religious affiliation should be able to go to school without being segregated and are seen as different. A large part of the research at this moment shows a picture of segregated schools with remedial classes. If remedial classes cause segregation or inclusion is a dilemma that should be highlighted and discussed. Pupils who are in need of special support should be supported, without being segregated and perceived as different. To perform this study, qualitative interviews were made. Seven teachers have participated and gave their views on remedial classes and what function they fill for the school. My theory that has been used highlights two conditions at school. One is segregating integration with the compensatory perspective (kompensatoriska perspektivet), and the other is including integration with the democratic participatory perspective (deltagarperspektiv). The result shows that the teachers who were interviewed, despite the intentions of the  “A school for everyone” and with all risk that remedial classes carries with it, consider it compensatory perspective should be followed to accommodate all the pupils’ needs according to their conditions.