The reform movement in mathematics education both in the world and Turkey emphasizes the importance of working on real life problems. Teaching mathematics is not perceived as only stating some algorithms and exercising on these algorithms.  Although there is an increasing attention on real life problems, there is still little attention for critical issues, such as social justice, democracy, equality and peace, in both new elementary mathematics curriculum and elementary mathematics textbooks.

Critical mathematics education (CME) is recently an emerging understanding of mathematics education which places students’ empowerment, social justice, democratic society, and cultural and ecological issues in the core of mathematics instruction (Frankenstein, 2006; Gutstein, 2003). CME adopts the pedagogical theories and practices of critical pedagogy, and tries to use mathematics as an analytical tool for examining social injustices and developing suggestions for more just and equitable social and political transformations (Skovsmose, 1994; Gutstein and Peterson, 2006).

Critical pedagogy provides hope for the transformation of the education system and shows an alternative pathway for educators to work with, rather than to work for, students to create more egalitarian and just world (Freire, 1991). This alternative pathway is composed of two main processes; (1) improving consciousness about oppressive and unjust characteristics of society and its consequences for the individuals and (2) taking action to change this oppressive structure. This process of getting consciousness and taking action is also called as ‘praxis’ (Freire, 1991).

Critical mathematics educators claim that whether mathematics teachers are aware of or not, teaching mathematics is not a politically blind activity (Gutstein & Peterson, 2006). They also indicate that mathematics education in schools has a certain language which reproduce specific world views (Skovsmose, 1994). Mathematics curriculum or a mathematics classroom which is based on transmitting uncritical knowledge will be epistemologically oppressive in an unjust and unequal world where unequal nature refers to the power, opportunities, and access to resources. Therefore, it will not provide opportunity to challenge the unequal status quo (Povey, 2002).

The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between mathematics education and dominant political/cultural views in society and existing hegemony and to investigate the relationship between mathematics education and critical issues (such as social justice, poverty, discrimination). Considering the purpose of the study, this dissertation will try to answer the following research questions: How are critical issues addressed in elementary mathematics in Turkey? How does mathematics education related with dominant political or cultural (and patriarchal) values and views?

The studies that review critically the relation between education and critical issues generally focused on language, history, and art courses. There is little about the relationship between teaching mathematics and critical issues such as social justice, poverty, and inequality. Therefore, this study will enhance the discussion on the relation between education and critical issues by integrating mathematics education into this discussion.

Frankenstein, M. (2006). Reading the world with math: Goals for a critical mathematical literacy curriculum. E. Gutstein & B. Peterson (Eds.), Rethinking mathematics: Teaching social justice by the numbers (pp.19-28). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools, Ltd. Freire, P. (1991). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. İstanbul: Ayrıntı Publications. Gutstein, E. (2003). “Teaching and Learning Mathematics for Social Justice in an Urban, Latino School”. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (34), 1, 37–73 Gutstein, E. & Peterson, B. (Eds.), (2006). Rethinking mathematics: Teaching social justice by the numbers. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools. Povey, H. (2002). Promoting Social Justice In and Through the Mathematics Curriculum: Exploring the Connections with Epistemologies of Mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal (14), 3, 190-201 Skovsmose, O. (1994). Towards a philosophy of critical mathematics education. Dordrecht: Kluwer.