We make a "prima facie" case for identifying a single pathway in the learning of Hindu-Arabic numerical symbols and discuss why this ability may be a critical gateway concept in developing mathematical competencies. A representative sample of English and Scottish children was assessed using a number symbol identification paradigm in the…

There is a growing need for people to upskill and retrain throughout their working lives in response to technological and economic changes. Employees need to adapt and take on board new information and ways of working, but may lack confidence in their skills to be able to keep pace with their employer's business. Addressing literacy, numeracy and…

Supporting pre-service primary teachers to develop the required specialist knowledge for teaching mathematics is a complex task. The knowledge required for mathematics teaching at primary level is multi-faceted and the efficacy of mathematics teaching is inextricably intertwined with a teacher's own beliefs and attitudes about mathematics and…

This report builds upon the original principles and philosophy of "Pre-Birth to 3" and "Building the Ambition." The new guidance retains the relevant content from the previous guidance which it replaces, extending and strengthening it in line with current research and evidence about how children develop and learn. This…

Aim: This study aimed to explore the efficacy of using internet based resources to increase parental engagement in an area of social and economic deprivation with a focus on numeracy attainment outcomes. Method: 22 pupils in one mainstream primary school class took part in a six week intervention using Learning Journals to demonstrate numeracy…

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), constitutes the demands that teachers are supposed to meet. Its intentions for the mathematics curriculum are similar to those in many countries: that learners be sufficiently mathematically literate to use mathematics in the personal, professional and societal dimensions of their lives. But like many…

This report reviews current practice in numeracy and mathematics. It contains advice and guidance around what is working well, as well as important areas for discussion and further development. The report is intended to promote improvements in Scottish education by using the findings of inspection to stimulate reflection and professional dialogue…

This executive summary accompanies the report, "Multiplying Skills, Adding Value. Numeracy and Mathematics for Scotland's Learners: A Thematic Inspection." The report reviews current practice in numeracy and mathematics. It contains advice and guidance around what is working well, as well as important areas for discussion and further…

The development of socio-cultural understandings of mathematics combined with policy interest in adult numeracy as a result of international studies, which compare skill levels in different countries, have impacted adult education practice in recent years. In Scotland, a "social practice approach" is espoused and adult numeracy tutors…

The "mathematics problem" is a well-known source of difficulty for students attempting numerical problem solving questions in the context of science education. This paper illuminates this problem from a biology education perspective by invoking Hogan's numeracy framework. In doing so, this study has revealed that the contextualisation of…

This article demonstrates that the presence of radical discourse in an educational field is not necessarily evidence of criticality in practice. Appropriated by policy and practitioners within a web of power relations, radical discourse may come to act on practice in ways which are antithetical to its theoretical origins. To illustrate this…

This article examines cross-country variations in adult skills inequality and asks why skills in Anglophone countries are so unequal. Drawing on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's recent Survey of Adult Skills and other surveys, it investigates the differences across countries and country groups in inequality in both…

Understanding the origins of poor literacy and numeracy skills in adulthood and how to improve them is of major importance when society places a high premium on proficiency in these basic skills. This edited collection brings together the results of recent longitudinal studies that greatly extend our knowledge of what works in raising skill…

The importance of numeracy for professional practice in nursing is increasingly recognized in the USA, UK and elsewhere, but there is no consensus on what is meant by numeracy for nursing, nor on how it should be taught, learned and assessed. Meanwhile, studies in various countries indicate a lack of proficiency in numeracy of some students and…

An important social concern in mathematics education is that the educational attainment of pupils may be influenced by teachers' competence in the curricular area they are teaching. This paper provides some insight into the relationship between student primary teachers' mathematics subject knowledge and their reported confidence to teach that…