Adults' Mathematical Thinking and Emotions

<p>The crisis around teaching and learning of mathematics and its use in everyday life and work relate to a number of issues. These include: The doubtful transferability of school maths to real life contexts the declining participation in A level and higher education maths courses the apparent exclusion of some groups such as women and the aversion of many people to maths. This book addresses these issues by considering a number of key problems in maths education and numeracy:<br>*differences among social groups especially those related to gender and social class<br>*the inseparability of cognition and emotion in mathematical activity<br>*the understanding of maths anxiety in traditional psychological psychoanalytical and feminist theories<br>*how adults' numerate thinking and performance must be understood in context.<br>The author's findings have practical applications in education and training such as clarifying problems of the transfer of learning and of countering maths anxiety.</p>