Collectivist and Individualist Values in Mathematics Education

In this chapter, we are interested in how values can reflect individualist or collectivist orientations and consider whether values are oriented towards the particular learner or with groups or society in general. We base our discussion on Bishop’s (1988) framework of values: ideology (rationalism, objectivism); sentiment (control, progress); and sociology (openness, mystery), and develop this to reflect individualist and collectivist values. As we understand collectivist values relevant for critical citizenship related to applied mathematics in society, we also lean on post-normal science to understand how values and mathematics are interwoven in decision-making. We examine mathematics curricula from Norway and from Ontario, Canada, to explore how they reflect different types of values in relation to mathematics. In particular, our examination suggests that the mathematics curriculum from Ontario has a more individualistic orientation than that from Norway. Our framework is useful for revealing such differences, and for further awareness of and reflection on the implementation of values in mathematics curricula.