Abstract
This article reports the results of a literature review focused on identifying the links between mathematics education and democracy. The review is based on the analysis of a collection of manuscripts produced in different regions of the world. The analysis of these articles focuses on six aspects, namely, (1) definitions of democracy used in these texts, (2) identified links between mathematics education and democracy, (3) suggested strategies to foster a democratic competence in mathematics students (4) tensions and difficulties inherent in mathematical education for democracy, (5) the fundamental role of the teacher in the implementation of democratic education and (6) selected criticisms of mathematical education for democracy. The main contributions of this article are to provide the reader with an overview of the literature related to mathematics education and democracy, and to highlight some of the theoretical and empirical topics that are necessary to further development within this research area.
Highlights
The connection between democracy and mathematics education is not a new topic in the field of mathematics education research
These connections have been discussed in our field for over 20 years. Why is it important to do a literature review on mathematics education and democracy now? We think that there are at least two reasons for this. Some authors, such as Gutiérrez (2010), claim that our field is currently experiencing a ‘sociopolitical turn’, our field is still dominated by views that consider the relationship between the teacher, the students and the mathematical content as the main space of inquiry (Pais & Valero, 2012; Valero, 2007)
We examined the most recent proceedings of the International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME) and of the Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education (CERME)
Summary
The connection between democracy and mathematics education is not a new topic in the field of mathematics education research. These connections have been discussed in our field for over 20 years (see e.g. D’Ambrosio, 1990; Skovsmose, 1990). Why is it important to do a literature review on mathematics education and democracy now? We believe that a literature review addressing the links between mathematics education and democracy may help to challenge and contest these perspectives, and increase awareness about the need to widen the area of inquiry that has been favoured traditionally
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