Why do so many learners, even those who are successful, feel that they are outsiders in the world of mathematics? Taking the central importance of language in the development of mathematical understanding as its starting point, Mathematical Literacy explores students' experiences of doing mathematics from primary school to university - what they think mathematics is, how it is presented to them, and what they feel about it. Building on a range of theory which focuses on community, knowledge, and identity, the author examines two particular issues: the relationship between...

While demand for the mathematically literate citizen increases, many learners continue to reject mathematics and experience it as excluding and exclusive. In exploring this phenomenon, this volume examines the ways in which learners form particular relationships with mathematics in the context of formal schooling.