Authenticity in Extra-curricular Mathematics Activities: Researching Authenticity as a Social Construct

Abstract

In this chapter I study authentic aspects in mathematics education, in particular with respect to mathematical modelling. I define ‘authenticity’ as a social construct, building on the French sociologist Émile Durkheim. For an aspect to be authentic, it needs to have: (1) an out-of-school origin and (2) a certification of originality. The study validates this definition, asking: what authentic aspects can be identified within mathematics education? Data were collected from the excursion Railway Timetable Dynamics. During the excursion secondary school students were exposed to research carried out by university mathematicians on behalf of the National Railway Company. The authentic aspects were mathematical or non-mathematical. Often the certification was a testimony by an expert.