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In the article, the author discusses the role of mathematics education researchers in helping the society to evolve by provoking their thinking ability and inspiring them to understand mathematics teaching and learning practices.

Game theory served as a leading force to develop mathematics in the social sciences of the 1950s. Intellectual trends or research fronts combined with the research front of game theory between 1945 and the 1960s. One front was Kurt Lewin's team research and social experimentation school. Another front was the latent structure school of Paul Lazarsfeld and also the Bureau of Applied Social Research.

Discusses a study which assessed student mathematics performance under the influence of scheduled and rule-governed contingencies prior to training in computer interactive self-assessment. How the study was conducted; Preexperimental assessment outcomes; Discussion on the experimental conditions.

Deals with `Math Fair for Kids,' a mathematics fair sponsored by the University of Missouri Mathematics Teachers Organization. Planning and organization of the affair; Registration procedure; Math activities presented; Tips for developing mathematics fair. INSETS: I can read your mind! (math solving problem);Three-bean salad.

Investigates children's stated perceptions of mathematics in problem-solving environments in two school systems with different demographic characteristics. How children typically viewed mathematics; Why classroom environments are naturally influenced by the demographic characteristics of the students; Two particular questions addressed on the basis of the issues about problem-solving; Results of the investigation.

The author examines the sociology of mathematics. He says that mathematics was closely connected to astronomy and physics as well as to philosophy. It notes that some mathematics was used in activities of daily living, such as in surveying and insurance, in the early days of the 20th century. He also considers a book by N. Bukharin on historical materialism, published in 1922, contained a significant information on science, including mathematics.

Reports on a study regarding gender interaction in mathematics classrooms at the junior secondary level in Botswana. Information about the earlier studies; Details of results; Activities suggested to teachers for introducing reforms in their teachings.

Reports on an observational study of mathematics classes from low and high socioeconomic private girls' high schools in Brisbane, Australia to investigate differences in the construction of the content in mathematics and the learners in both cases. Source of the study; Details of the study; Analysis of the findings of the study.

The article focuses on the mathematical quality of advanced-level (A-level) Pure Mathematics papers in summer 1994. It states that the National Criteria for Mathematics has put an additional objectives such as oral response to mathematical questions and practical and investigative work accomplishment. It adds that algebraic symbolism and manipulation has dominated the 1994 papers wherein among the 45 questions only one contained no algebra.

The article focuses on the relation between society and mathematics, including the effect of math on social structure and the influence of social structures on the structure of mathematical evidence. It is inferred that conventional math is used in a way to reproduce class society. The social history of mathematics is covered.

The article focuses on the application of mathematics on war. Topics discussed include the ways mathematics and statistics can be used to achieve understanding of the world, as seen in the goal of the Australian Senior Mathematics Curriculum. Also mentioned is the sheepskin vest made for every Australian soldier who fought during World War I, which was the theme of the documentary "A Stitch in Time."

The article focuses on the history on existence of mathematics in human societies. Topics discussed include use of mathematics in historical civilization, ancient research on mathematics concept Math+, challenges faced by mathematicians, societal transformation because of mathematics and mathematical models.

The article looks at the reasoning of Klaus Boehnke on approaches on cross-cultural assessment. The author summarizes the main strengths of the reasoning which is a good representation of a construct in a culture and moves the problem of equivalence to issues of assessment within the culture. It also highlights the drawback of the approach in which the mathematical equivalence does not say anything on semantic equivalence.

Upshot: Leng attacks the indispensability argument for the existence of mathematical objects. She offers an account that treats the role of mathematics in science as an indispensable and useful part of theories, but retains nonetheless a fictionalist position towards mathematics. The result is an account of mathematics that is interesting for constructivists. Her view towards the nominalistic part of science is, however, more in conflict with radical constructivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the role of mathematics in challenging domestic violence, debates about school bullying, and teacher diversification for students and teachers.

The article offers the author's insights on the idea of applied and computer-based mathematics. The author states that computers had some effects the way mathematics were taught like making ruler as well as compass constructions through dynamic geometry systems. He also mentions that mathematical models were used everyday in business while algebraic and differential equations were applied almost in any places. He argues that use of mathematical competencies are enough to solve relevant problems.

Throughout history, mathematics has developed as part of humanity's search for patterns. When I explored mathematics in cultures East and West for my book Mathematics and Art: A Cultural History [...]

The article presents information related to the programs that are intended to promote mathematics in public. According to the author, the function of mathematics service is not just solving the problem but instead receiving the problems that need to be solved. Most of the parents of students call the mathematics department only about tutors or course offerings, they do not call it for mathematical assistance. Regarding this issue, mathematics departments firmly say that their department's purpose is only teaching, mentoring, and tutoring. MathServe project is one of the programs that encourages people and children towards mathematics. The intent of the program is to inspire cooperative projects that use math skills in addressing social, environmental, and health challenges. MathServe program is sponsored by the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications.

Byline: Janet Mannheimer Zydney, Cynthia Stegeman, Laura Bristol, Ted S. Hasselbring The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a multimedia learning environment in mathematics aimed to enhance students' learning, transfer, attitudes, and engagement. This multimedia learning environment included whole group instruction on mathematical concepts, a learning game, and group activities. The learning game used a variety of multimedia elements, including videos, animations, sound effects, text and interactive feedback. Fourteen elementary school students used the learning game as a review of material taught earlier in the year. The results indicated significant improvement in both achievement scores and attitude toward mathematics. The results, however, did not show the same benefits for the special education students. Qualitative analyses revealed a number of misconceptions and poor problem solving strategies that students used when transferring their knowledge to a novel situation. Enhancement of the learning environment and continuation of this research will work toward improving students' mathematical learning.

The formation of a language community in the United States by second-graders, teachers and teacher educators using mathematics pen pal letters is detailed. The pupils have focused their questions around interactions with their pen pals. The teachers, on the other hand, presented questions to every pen pal on a weekly basis.

The problems faced by students of low socioeconomic status (SES) and minorities in mathematics achievement are discussed. Appropriate instructional strategies needed to raise their standards in order to mitigate achievement gaps in schools are discussed.

We tested whether informing women about stereotype threat is a useful intervention to improve their performance in a threatening testing situation. Men and women completed difficult math problems described either as a problem-solving task or as a math test. In a third (teaching-intervention) condition, the test was also described as a math test, but participants were additionally informed that stereotype threat could interfere with women's math performance. Results showed that women performed worse than men when the problems were described as a math test (and stereotype threat was not discussed), but did not differ from men in the problem-solving condition or in the condition in which they learned about stereotype threat. For women, attributing anxiety to gender stereotypes was associated with lower performance in the math-test condition but improved performance in the teaching-intervention condition. The results suggest that teaching about stereotype threat might offer a practical means of reducing its detrimental effects.

The article focuses on the applications of mathematics in the real world. Topics addressed include author David Rooney's book "Mathematics: How It Shaped Our World", different sections of an exhibition on various aspects of human beings at the Science Museum in London, England, and a calculator Survival Predictor built for estimating the recovery of coma patients.

Students and teachers who are looking for multicultural approaches to mathematics will find a wealth of Web sites at the homepage for the International Study Group on Ethnomathematics (ISGEm). These [...]

Mathematics is a vital aspect of culture. Mathematical principles may not in and of themselves be 'cultural,' but as soon as those principles are used by human beings, what is [...]

General semantics is also concerned with the science of man. Its special contribution is toward the study of the evaluative behavior of man. The most crucial and distinctive component of […]

One common attribute of a scientist is an unusually acute sense of numbers and their implications. I think it was Bertrand Russell who once observed that mankind would rather commit [...]

The article discusses the effect of theory of mathematics education on mathematics teachers' practice and mentions ways to analyze its influence on the public.

The article describes the author's research on the impact of factors of social class, gender, and ethnicity on English secondary school students' attitudes towards mathematics and achievement in mathematics education. The author discusses his use of the conceptual tools outlined by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu such as habitus and cultural capital, and he notes that the study employed a mixed-methods research method to study students aged 14-16 across three secondary schools in England.