This book focuses on the issues surrounding researching mathematics education, in particular the notion of the culture of the mathematics classroom, communication in mathematics classrooms and pupils' and teachers' perceptions.

Introduction: Issues in researching mathematics learning Section 1: Culture of the mathematics classroom 1. Images of mathematics, values and gender: a philosophical perspective 2. Towards a sociology of learning in primary schools3. Learners as authors in mathematics classrooms 4. Paradigmatic conflicts in informal mathematics assessment as sources of social inequity5. Constructing the 'legitimate' goal of a 'realistic' mathematics item: a comparison of 10-11 and 13-14 year olds 6. Establishing a community of practice in a secondary mathematics classroom Section 2: Communication in mathematics classrooms 7. Mathematics, social class and linguistic capital: an analysis of mathematics classroom interactions8. What is the role of diagrams in communication of mathematical activity? 9. 'The Whispers' : rival classroom discourses and inquiry mathematics10. Steering between skills and creativity: a role for the computer?Section 3: Pupils' and teachers' perceptions 11. The relationship of teachers' conceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching to instructional practice12. Setting, social class and survival of the quickest 13. 'I'll be a nothing': structure, agency and the construction of identity through assessment 14. Pupils' perspectives on learning mathematics