An Overview of Values in Mathematics Education

Although teaching and learning of mathematics are given utmost attention in political programmes and schools worldwide, international comparisons reveal that many students across different cultures do not have a real understanding of and appreciation for mathematics and its role in today’s world. Put differently, for many students, mathematics education adds little to their daily lives, resulting in those students struggling to recognise the real value of mathematics. But, as it is widely argued, if students are able to appreciate the relevance of mathematics, they are likely to be more interested and engaged in it and, therefore, appreciate it more. The values research field argues that, for this to happen, educational agendas (ranging from global political to local and contextual) must place importance on considering the role of values and valuing in the process of mathematics teaching and learning. This philosophy stands at the core of research and academic work of the Third Wave Project. During initial years of its existence, drawing on different ideas from various theoretical and philosophical approaches, research in this field focused primarily on theoretical foundations and descriptions of concepts pertinent to the field. More recently, trying to utilise several decades of this conceptual work, this research started to shift towards the dimension of practice and intervention. The chapters in this book paint the picture of this shifting landscape.