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A sociological analysis of school mathematics texts

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Abstract

In this paper I introduce some of the central features of a theoretical framework-a language of description-which has been developed for the sociological analysis of school texts, in particular, school mathematics texts. My approach is to introduce the language through the practical description of extracts from the texts which were analysed in its development. This also allows me to make some empiricial claims about the texts themselves and, insofar as they are representative of the wider practice, of school mathematics, at least in England and Wales. At the end of the paper, I also give some indication of how the language of description is articulated with broader sociological issues.

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Dowling, P. A sociological analysis of school mathematics texts. Educational Studies in Mathematics 31, 389–415 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369156

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