Exploring the potential of philosophy of mathematics and of science to enhance mathematics education from an epistemological perspective

Studies within mathematics education have shown the existence of a so-called “mathematics anxiety” among secondary and high school students as a global phenomenon and have related it to various social and psychological aspects of the processes of teaching and learning mathematics, which are responsible for the understanding of mathematics. Current research project aims at crystallizing a primary conceptual and theoretical framework necessary for the application of contributions of philosophy of mathematics and of science and epistemology of mathematics in mathematics education from an epistemological perspective. It argues for and discusses applicability of the general principle that teaching about mathematics along with traditionally teaching formal mathematics and ‘doing’ mathematics does not render the process more difficult, but rather, this approach enhances mathematics education, with effects on the mathematics anxiety.