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Background about mathematics education - an inter-disciplinary subject
Research on mathematics textbooks usually takes place within a wider area of research called didactics of mathematics or mathematics education. Mathematics education has developed substantially both as a field of knowledge and a scientific area during the last sixty years, with research themes of its own and specific development projects, professorships, scientific journals and conferences. Mathematics education or didactics of mathematics embraces all conditions of importance to teaching and learning in mathematics, including approaches to teaching. Further, the development of teaching and teacher education, children's development of mathematical concepts, curriculum development, development of teaching materials such as textbooks, ICT, concretes, the role of language, the influence of the teacher, social aspects, and attitudes to the subject and other issues are studied (Niss, 2001). The research field of mathematics education is mainly related to the subject areas mathematics and pedagogy (general education). Research in the area also uses methodology, ideas and results from other areas of subject, when this is relevant (for example history, psychology, sociology, ethnology, linguistics, and philosophy) (Niss, 2001; Wittmann, 1998; Biehler, Scholz, Strässer & Winkelmann, 1994). Criteria for evaluation of the quality of research in mathematics education were developed, and these criteria have been generally recognized (Nissen & Blomhøj, 1993; Sierpinska & Kilpatrick, 1998; Lester & Lambdin, 1998). Research results are published in journals with referee procedures, and are exchanged and discussed at regular research conferences such as ICME, ICMI Studies, CERME (arranged by the European Association for Research in Mathematics Education, ERME), PME (International Group for Psychology of Mathematics Education) and NORMA (Nordic conference in mathematics education, see below). In most countries, mathematics is regarded to be one of the subjects, which is necessary to master in order to be able to fully participate as a citizen in a democratic society with all its processes of decisions and selection of information. One of the reasons for the strengthening of the research area is that mathematics is a problematic subject to learn in school with large pupil groups. Other reasons are that society needs better recruitment to mathematics education programs and professions, which are mathematically intensive, that mathematics plays a more and more important role in our high technology society, and that teacher education in mathematics has a need for a more obvious foundation of research and more teacher educators with research experience. Some concern has also been devoted to gender issues and equity because fewer women than men choose to study mathematics at high levels, and a socio-economic bias in the recruitment of students exists. This concern relates also to mathematics textbooks as studies have shown that they often are biased (Areskoug & Grevholm, 1987ab; Grevholm & Hanna, 1995; Boaler, 2008).