Social functions of mathematics education: a framework
for socio-political studies
David Kollosche
1
Published online: 31 May 2018
#
Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract In mathematics education, researchers have proposed a wide range of improvements of
teaching practice in school, but only a few of these proposals have sustainably changed mathe-
matics education in the desired form. This article takes off with the assumption that this gap
between ideals and practice can be understood and challenged through a better understanding of
the social functions of mathematics education. Functionalism is a sociological paradigm, which is
based on the assumption that sub-systems of society support each other. The application of this
theory to mathematics education seeks to illuminate the social connectedness of classroom practice
and incorporates various studies from the field of mathematics education and beyond. Its origi-
nality lies in its ability to integrate and order results from many different socio-political studies in
mathematics education and to identify research desiderata in the field. On this basis, I show that in
spite of official discourses on the use-value of mathematics, we lack evidence that mathematics
education is functional in providing socially necessary qualifications in mathematics. Instead,
possible other functions of mathematics education such as the training of economically beneficial
character traits, the legitimisation of mathematics as a social tool of power, the transfer of social
advantages from parents to children, the training of a bureaucratic mentality and the projection of
societal wishes and fears are discussed. The results do not only provoke further debate on
educational goals of mathematics education but may form a basis on which to plan educational
innovation with particular attention towards social constraints underlying mathematics education.
Keywords Functionalism
.
Qualification
.
Integration
.
Legitimisation
.
Assessment
1 The social connectedness of mathematics education
Research in mathematics education aims at a better understanding and at an improvement
of the teaching and learning of mathematics. However, reforms and interventions, which
Educ Stud Math (2018) 98:287–303
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9818-3
* David Kollosche
david.kollosche@ph-vorarlberg.ac.at
1
Pädagogische Hochschule Vorarlberg, Liechtensteiner Str. 33, 6800 Feldkirch, Austria
@Phil_Robichaud
@deepthiw
@JoseServera