Development of Socio-Critically Open-Ended Problems for Critical Mathematical Literacy: A Japanese Case

The purpose of this study is to propose socio-critically open-ended problems (SCOEPs) as a novel theoretical framework for nurturing students’ critical mathematical literacy while respecting diverse values embedded in trans-scientific problems. First, we outline the socially open-ended problem─which is of current interest to Japanese researchers of critical mathematics education─and describe its nature and significance. Second, we derive issues from current research on social justice and ethics in mathematics education using a literature interpretive methodology and build a theoretical framework of SCOEPs to develop socially open-ended problems. We present several potential examples of classroom practices based on the SCOEPs framework that were implemented in Japanese schools to explore the impact of these questions on student’s engagement and thinking processes. We found evidence that the objectives of nurturing both social judgment skills within an ethical framework, as well as fostering mathematically and socially diverse solutions for authentic problems are integrated in SCOEPs. The framework can be described as the coexistence of the process of fostering social decision-making through mathematical thinking and the process of critically considering mathematical thinking to achieve social justice. This proposal has significant implications for the future directions of mathematics education in the 21st century.