Selective and comprehensive school systems vary in both the degree and timing of selection. To study the consequences of such variation, cross-national comparisons are usually undertaken. Given that cultural differences between countries affect pathways and outcomes, apportioning causal influence in such studies can be difficult. In 1970s Britain,…

Drawing on a recent empirical study of curriculum change in English secondary school mathematics and on the work of Kuhn, Bucher and Strauss, Archer, and Bhaskar, a tentative model for analyzing how and why changes occur in the legitimacy of particular definitions of secondary school mathematics and science subjects is developed. (Author/IS)

Presents an alternative hypothetical explanation of the results obtained in Sharma and Meighan's research. The study did not control for intelligence, social class, and other relevant variables which might explain the difference between the sexes in mathematical attainment in secondary schools. (AM)