Polish mathematics education periodicals in times of educational reform after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact

Abstract

In this paper we present a study of the most important Polish periodicals of the last 30 years that are related to mathematics education. Our research aim was to analyse how the changes in mathematics education that were caused by a new political situation in Poland were reflected in education journals. Journals that shaped Polish mathematics education varied significantly. We analysed both those journals that have a long history and those that arose spontaneously, thus reflecting the mood of this time of great change. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that journals, where the authors are mostly mathematics scientists or university lecturers, turned out to be in different to shifts in the educational system. A characteristic tendency reflecting the mood of times of change was the creation of new magazines, which were to be forums for sharing views on teaching mathematics. It turns out, however, that the journals created after 1990 had quite a short lifespan. Education journals that were directed to teachers for decades constituted a platform for discussion of new ideas and teaching styles, too. They offered a place to exchange opposing views. However, this situation slowly ceased to apply.