Topic and History
Sociological approaches in mathematics education are those where sociological theory guides and directs research. In research on mathematics education, they have a rather short history. They are offering vigorous and fresh perspectives, and they have received increasing attention during the last 25 years. By using methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis, they engage with the complex relationships between individuals, groups, knowledge, discourse, and social practice, aiming at a theoretical understanding of social processes in mathematics education. These relationships are often conceived as tensions between the micro level of individual agency and interaction and the macro level of the social structure of society. The institutions of mathematics education and their functioning, often in terms of social reproduction, are of crucial concern.
Sociological approaches in mathematics education refer to a field of study and a body of knowledge that are not...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bernstein B (2000) Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity, 2nd (rev.) edn. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Brown A (2000) Positioning, pedagogy and parental participation in school mathematics: an exploration of implications for the public understanding of mathematics. Social Epistemol 14:21–31
Cooper B, Dunne M (2000) Assessing children’s mathematical knowledge: social class, sex and problem-solving. Open University, Buckingham
Dowling P (1998) The sociology of mathematics education: mathematical myths/ pedagogical texts. RoutledgeFalmer, London
Ensor P, Galant J (2005) Knowledge and pedagogy: sociological research in mathematics education in South Africa. In: Vithal R, Adler J, Keitel C (eds) Researching mathematics education in South Africa: perspectives, practices and possibilities. HSRC, Cape Town, pp 281–306
Gates P, Vistro-Yu CP (2003) Is mathematics for all? In: Bishop AJ, Clements MA, Keitel C, Kilpatrick J, Leung FKS (eds) Second international handbook of mathematics education. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 31–73
Gellert U, Jablonka E (2009) “I am not talking about reality”: word problems and the intricacies of producing legitimate text. In: Verschaffel L, Greer B, Van Dooren W, Mukhopadhyay S (eds) Words and worlds: modelling verbal descriptions of situations. Sense, Rotterdam, pp 39–53
Gellert U, Jablonka E, Morgan C (2010) Proceedings of the sixth international Mathematics Education and Society conference, 2nd edn. Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin. http://www.ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de/en/v/mes6/proceedings/index.html. Accessed 2 Aug 2012
Jablonka E (2009) Sociological perspectives in research in mathematics education. In: Kaasila R (ed) Matematiikan ja luonnontieteiden: Proceedings of the 2008 symposium of the Finnish Mathematics and Science Education Research Association. University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, pp 35–67
Keitel C, Damerow P, Bishop A, Gerdes P (eds) (1989) Mathematics, education, and society. UNESCO, Paris
Lerman S (2000) The social turn in mathematics education research. In: Boaler J (ed) Multiple perspectives in mathematics teaching and learning. Ablex, Westport, pp 19–44
Lubienski ST (2000) A clash of social class cultures? Students’ experiences in a discussion-intensive seventh-grade mathematics classroom. Elementary School J 100:377–403
Matos JF, Valero P, Yakusawa K (2008) Proceedings of the fifth international Mathematics Education and Society conference. Centro de Investigação em Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon. http://pure.ltu.se/portal/files/2376304/Proceedings_MES5_OnlinePDF.pdf. Accessed 2 Aug 2012
Morgan C, Tsatsaroni A, Lerman S (2002) Mathematics teachers’ positions and practices in discourses of assessment. Brit J Sociol Educ 23:445–461
Skovsmose O (1994) Towards a philosophy of critical mathematics education. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Skovsmose O, Greer B (eds) (2012) Opening the cage: critique and politics of mathematics education. Sense, Rotterdam
Valero P (2009) What has power got to do with mathematics education? In: Ernest P, Greer B, Sriraman B (eds) Critical issues in mathematics education. IAP, Charlotte, pp 237–254
Vithal R (2003) In search of a pedagogy of conflict and dialogue for mathematics education. Kluwer, Dordrecht
Wiliam D, Bartholomew H, Reay D (2004) Assessment, learning and identity. In: Valero P, Zevenbergen R (eds) Researching the socio-political dimensions of mathematics education: Issues of power in theory and methodology. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 43–61
Zevenbergen R (2005) The construction of a mathematical habitus: implications of ability grouping in the middle years. J Curriculum Stud 37:607–619
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Gellert, U. (2014). Sociological Approaches in Mathematics Education. In: Lerman, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4978-8_142
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4978-8_142
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4977-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4978-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law