This dissertation is devoted to the history of Polish mathematics education and specifically to the development of Polish mathematics education periodicals. This research investigates all mathematics education periodicals that were published from 1930 to 1950, which was a turbulent time for Poland due to World War II as well as foreign influences. The purpose of this study was to research the status and position of Polish mathematics education periodicals and their changes over the years. In an attempt to accomplish this purpose, the study investigated the objectives, content, and most important topics of periodicals, the reasons for the changes in them, and also explored who were the most prominent and influential authors of the periodicals during the period of 1930-1950. The study examined the articles of the periodicals and categorized them based on similar content, such as teaching methods, teaching aids, instructional practices, curriculum, school mathematics, textbook reviews, and foreign influences.
The study also provided brief summaries of several of the articles. Mathematics education periodicals represent one important side of the professional communication in the field which provides insight into the development of mathematics education, which in turn was an important part of the country’s cultural life. This study attempts to be of help for a general study that would portray how Polish history of mathematics education fits into and relates to the collective history of Europe. In particular, how it fits into the collective history of other European countries that underwent similar dramatic influences from abroad. The analysis has shown that Poland’s history of education and Polish mathematics periodicals, in particular, was substantially influenced by internal or external politics and ideologies. Analysis of the periodicals provides a unique opportunity to examine the communication between mathematics educators and, therefore, everyday life in the field and to see who were the most influential figures and what socio-political factors may have influenced those figures into making changes in mathematics education.
It should be mentioned that since all of the figures studied in the dissertation were educated during a period in Poland when the country was partitioned, they were influenced by different foreign systems of education, which ultimately had an impact on the formation of the Polish mathematics education system. In general, the study has shown that Polish mathematics education and Polish mathematics education periodicals were all heavily influenced by the social and political changes in Poland, such as new policies, legislation, ideology, as well as foreign influences from countries such as Germany, Austria, and Russia. These factors worked collectively to shape Polish mathematics education into what it was during 1930-1950.
