Abstract
In this developed contribution to the Research Forum, held at the recent meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, the theme being “Theories of Mathematics Education”, I focus on the call by the organisers: ‘the time seems ripe for our community to take stock of the multiple and widely diverging mathematical theories’. I examine empirically the diversity of theories and I draw on the sociological theories of Basil Bernstein to relate the developments to the nature of intellectual communities and their productions. In particular, I suggest that the multiplicity and divergence are not surprising nor are they necessarily damaging to the field. I end by discussing concerns about accountability in relation to research in education.
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Lerman, S. Theories of mathematics education: Is plurality a problem?. Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik 38, 8–13 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02655902
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02655902