Cross-national variations in student achievement have been the focus of much interest and reflect a pervasive policy concern across many countries for improving student outcomes. One significant factor in this is the nature and quality of teaching. Using an approach which accounts for social and cultural difference, we attempt to understand teaching as one particular influence on cross-national variations in student achievement in mathematics and compare mathematics teaching across Denmark and England, exploring similarities and differences both across and within these countries.

In this study we explore and contrast how teachers mediate the many influences on their practice within the context of mathematics teaching in England and Denmark. We separate broad socio-political influences which serve to recontextualise and pedagogise knowledge and ways of knowing from individual teacher mediations within institutional contexts. Our findings infer teacher mediations from the roles teachers adopt, where roles are situated enactments of goal-directed practice.

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