Abstract

Why do schools teach mathematics, and why do they teach the mathematics that they do? In this three-part dissertation, I argue that the justifications offered by national education systems are not convincing, and that students are tested on content whose purpose neither they nor their teachers clearly understand. In the first part of the dissertation, I propose a theoretical framework for understanding the content and pedagogy of school mathematics as a set of practices reflecting socio-political values, particularly in relation to labor and citizenship. Beginning with a critical study of history, I trace the origins of modern mathematics education, in the process unearthing common, unexamined assumptions regarding the place and form of mathematics education in contemporary society. In the second part of the dissertation I use the above theoretical framework to re-examine the literature on mathematical word problems. Word problems have interested research because they operate at the intersection between mathematics, education, and labor. I argue that scholarly discussions of word problems have so far adopted unexamined assumptions regarding the role of history, the structure of everyday life, and the relationship between mathematics and other disciplines. Through the lens of political economy I examine these assumptions and offer new categories and explanation for understanding word problems. In the final part of the dissertation, I apply my theoretical framework to practice. Using a dialogical approach, I present a group of undergraduate students and pre-service teachers with artifacts and problems that embody some of the defining tensions of mathematics education. Through twelve weeks of in-depth discussion, fieldwork and exploration, students eventually arrive at a more critical understanding of the social purpose of mathematics and the impact of this purpose on its teaching and learning in various contexts. The results for the students include an expanded vision of the possibilities of mathematics, a radical critique of its place in society, and reports of reduced math anxiety as well as increased curiosity toward mathematics.