Diachronic and synchronic analyses of steering documents, curriculum materials and teachers' interactions with them
Profound knowledge in algebra is important for the understanding of several mathematical areas, for example functions and statistics. Hence, it is a critical gatekeeper for further studies in mathematics. Algebra is often described as a generalization of arithmetic and the dominating view among scholars has earlier been that the students must reach a certain cognitive level to understand algebra. This view has been challenged by for example cross-cultural studies and many countries including Sweden have revised their curriculum attempting to integrate algebra in school mathematics from the very beginning. However, international research shows that it is difficult to implement new ideas in mathematics teaching without consideration of the prevailing teaching tradition. Therefore, the overall purpose of this study is to add to the knowledge about implementation of algebra in school mathematics by investigating the Swedish case from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives.
Kirsti Hemmi, Mälardalen University
Johan Prytz, Uppsala University
Kajsa Bråting, Uppsala University
Yvonne Liljekvist, Karlstad University