The evolutionary course of mathematics literary writings: A case study

Abstract

Attention to the disconnection between culture and mathematics has been addressed then and now (Wilder (in: Graves et al., Proceedings of the international congress of mathematicians, American Mathematical Society, 1950; Liu in Taiwan Journal of Mathematics Education, 8:79–88, 2021b). Recently, studies, workshops, and contests about an approach to relating culture and mathematics, such as incorporating mathematics history or mathematics writings in class, have emerged. However, although the effectiveness of such an approach was proved, employing it as instruction was still significantly ignored, not to mention the approach to creating mathematics literary writings—the goal that the Mathematics-Literature Contest aimed to achieve. Additionally, no empirical studies have systematically assessed the contest, especially from the cultural perspective. Through teachers’ and students’ perceptions, this qualitative case study aims to examine the impact of mathematics literary writings on the development of mathematics teaching/learning and the mathematics culture represented in the contest. Ten teachers and 20 students were interviewed. Data were analyzed by following Yin’s five phases (2016). The study visualizes an evolutionary model of the contest, signifying the development of mathematics culture simultaneously. Results demonstrated that the contest caused teachers and students, who constituted the internal force, to consolidate the mathematics culture, which was enriched by the external force—to reinterpret the connection between mathematics as well as culture and the reform of general education. The developed mathematics culture included elements other than mathematics, such as the Chinese writings and their interactions with mathematics and life experiences. The findings hold implications for mathematics and general education: An interdisciplinary curriculum design can help cultivate teachers’ and students’ intellectual acumen; higher education communities worldwide must follow the trend.