Dr Matthew Harper

Demystifying subjects, troubling status: a pedagogical analysis of high school mathematics and drama in the Australian schooling context

Matt submitted his PhD at the end of 2023. His PhD explored common assumptions about educational experiences in different subjects by investigating mathematics and drama at a selective performing arts government school.

Matt says these subjects represent a host of issues in contemporary society and are at “the two ends of the status spectrum in school curriculum”.

Government policies, public media discourses and societal views on school routinely emphasise core subjects such as mathematics over and above subjects such as drama which “do not seem to offer as much”.

He maintains, however, that knowledge and experience in both mathematics and drama are essential to a quality education – and life – in today’s world, challenging the pervasive subject hierarchy.

Matt observed lessons in mathematics and drama across entire units of work, conducted interviews with teachers, reviewed their planning and assessment documents, and facilitated focus groups with students. He aims to discover more about the ways in which subjects are taught and experienced to better understand and improve school systems.