Reflecting on the theoretical and ideological work that has contributed to the growth of mathematics education research in South Africa, this study provides a historical analysis of forces that have changed and shaped mathematics curricula over the years. The themes researched and explored include radical pedagogy, progressive classroom practices, ethnomathematics, and South African mathematics education research within both its local and international contexts.

The book is the result of a five-year project that culminated (within the first three years) in doctoral research interrogating language competency for meaningful mathematics instruction at upper primary level conducted at University of Stellenbosch in 2017; and this book in the succeeding two years. The initial research project received countrywide coverage in several South African media outlets including Times Live and Radio 2000.

This book focuses on how to improve the teaching and learning of primary level mathematics education within resource-constrained contexts. It builds on two large numeracy projects within South Africa which speak to broader, global concerns and highlight how research and development not only enables one to meet ethical imperatives but also explore how further interventions can be developed. Teacher and research communities must work together to create mutually beneficial relationships and establish a cohesive understanding of the requirements of primary mathematics education.

This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 Thematic Afternoon on “European Didactic Traditions”, takes readers on a journey with mathematics education researchers, developers and educators in eighteen countries, who reflect on their experiences with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), the domain-specific instruction theory for mathematics education developed in the Netherlands since the late 1960s. Authors from outside the Netherlands discuss what aspects of RME appeal to them, their criticisms of RME and their past and current RME-based projects. It is clear that a particular approach to mathematics education cannot simply be transplanted to another country. As such, in eighteen chapters the authors describe how they have adapted RME to their individual circumstances and view on mathematics education, and tell their personal stories about how RME has influenced their thinking on mathematics education.

The book represents a crop of wide-ranging research conducted by renown scholars in sub-Sahara Africa revolving around mathematics teaching and professional development programs for mathematics teachers. The research-based proposals and actual how-to-conduct professional development initiatives that enhance effective mathematics instruction are rooted in teacher input and informed by learners’ errors and misconceptions. The book provides a comprehensive snapshot on mathematics teaching, learning and effective professional development programmes for mathematics teachers in sub-Sahara Africa. It is the only research output that advances and disseminates issues of mathematics education and research in the region with input from South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

This volume is dedicated to the career of Jill Adler and the role she has played in growing mathematics education research in South Africa, Africa and beyond. Her work epitomises what is referred to as the ‘engaged scholar’: i.e. doing rigorous and theoretically rich research at the cutting edge of international work in the field which at the same time contributes to critical areas of local and regional need in education. Jill is one of the world’s leading experts in mathematics education research and her exemplary career is a continuous source of inspiration for generations of researchers and students. The chapters in this volume are authored by Jill’s former PhD students, a few select colleagues from different parts of the world that she collaborated with as well as leading scholars who she worked with in PME, ICMI and in her many international assignments. In essence, this volume celebrates Jill’s contribution not only to mathematics education but also to our contributions as her friends and colleagues. Topics covered include language and mathematics, teacher education, and the dilemma of an activist researcher engaging in issues that matter hugely to the participants in the research, students and teachers in post-apartheid schooling, whilst also setting up the separation that is needed for good research.

Maringe ought to be commended for putting together an invaluable contribution to our understanding of research into a complex education system in South Africa. This volume provides a useful foundation to the current state of education quality in South Africa including the impact of interventions. It also brings to the fore challenges still facing education transformation. The evidence presented which, taken together, lays out a coherent view of how improvements could be made. Albert Chanee Head of Planning, Gauteng Department of Education For too long the weight of educational scholarship produced in South Africa has been limited to that simple and standard form called the literature review. Now, for the first time, education researchers are provided with an African-based text on the concepts and methods of conducting systematic reviews. In this exceptional work of editorship, Felix Maringe brings together some of the leading researchers on South African education to model and demonstrate how to review a significant body of research on a chosen topic which is adjudicated strictly on the basis of the quality and efficacy of the evidence in hand. I have no doubt that this remarkable book will become a standard reference for educational researchers in and beyond the African continent. It will also lift the quality of educational inquiry by equipping a new generation of scholars with the capacity for doing evidence-based research that compels the attention of policymakers, planners and practitioners alike. Prof Jonathan Jansen Stellenbosch University