Acknowledging evidence that the ability to estimate has major consequences for both later mathematics learning and real-world functionality, this paper examines the national mathematics curriculum for compulsory school for each of Denmark, Norway and Sweden for the estimation-related opportunities it offers children. Framed against four conceptually and procedurally different forms of estimation (computational, measurement, quantity and number line), each of which is implicated differently in the later learning of mathematics, analyses indicated that none of the four forms of estimation were addressed explicitly in the Norwegian curriculum. Expectations of computational and measurement estimation were present in both the Danish and the Swedish curricula, although neither referred to either quantity or number line estimation. Even when estimation-related learning outcomes were articulated, there was no evidence of the processes by which they might be realised. Finally, there were no acknowledgements that estimation may contribute to the learning of other mathematical topics.

This paper presents an exploratory study of English and Swedish teachers' perspectives on the role of homework in year-one children's learning of number. In order to ensure cultural integrity, data were analysed independently by two colleagues in each context. Analyses yielded three broad but cross-culturally common themes reflecting culturally situated notions of common sense. These concerned the existence of homework, the purpose of homework and the role of parents in homework's completion. While homework was unproblematic for all English teachers, half the Swedish cohort spoke against it, arguing that variation in home background would compromise principles of equity. All teachers who set homework, whether English or Swedish, spoke of homework as a means of supporting children at risk of falling behind their peers, a process by which children practice routine skills. English teachers' homework-related justifications were located in a discourse of target setting that was invisible in the Swedish.

Computational estimation, typically construed as an approximate mental calculation of an arithmetical problem, is an important skill in everyday life and a wide range of professional contexts. Despite its importance, textbooks and curricula address it inadequately, with the consequence that many teachers are uncertain as to why and how they should teach it. In this paper, we present a narrative literature review that brings together the extensive research of the cognitive psychologists and the limited research of the mathematics educators to clarify the nature of computational estimation and its development. Focused initially on the strategies used in computational estimation before turning to children’s and adults’ computational estimation competence, the review shows that computational estimation, which develops over time, draws on a wide range of strategies reciprocally dependent on a secure understanding of numbers and arithmetic. It shows that the poor estimation competence of children and adults’ is susceptible to interventions, particularly with respect to addressing a common misconception that the purpose of computational estimation is the mental calculation of exact solutions.

This paper presents an exploratory study of English and Swedish teachers' perspectives on the role of parents in year one children's learning of number. Drawing on the results of semi-structured interviews, data from each cohort were analysed independently to ensure the cultural integrity of any response categories and the results of this process compared. Two broad themes were identified concerning implicit and explicit forms of parental involvement. The former, manifested similarly across the two cohorts, concerned the importance of parents presenting children with positive attitudes towards mathematics. The latter, incorporating three comparable subthemes, focused on the creation of number-rich home environments, home–school communication and parents' role in the completion of homework. All three subthemes differentiated the cohorts in ways that highlighted teachers' culturally situated perspective on teaching and learning. Some implications are discussed, particularly with respect to the challenge this study poses for developers of cross-cultural survey instruments.

In this paper we present statistical analyses of three textbooks used by Swedish teachers to support year one children's learning of mathematics. One, Eldorado, is authored by Swedish teachers, another, Favorit, is a Swedish adaptation of a popular Finnish series and the third, Singma, is a Swedish adaptation of a Singapore series. Data were coded against the eight categories of foundational number sense, which are the number-related competences literature has shown to be essential for the later mathematical success of year one learners. Two analyses were undertaken; the first was a frequency analysis of the tasks coded for a particular category, the second was a time-series analysis highlighting the temporal location of such opportunities. The frequency analyses identified statistically significant differences with respect to children's opportunities to acquire foundational number sense. Additionally, the time series showed substantial differences in the ways in which such tasks were located in the structure of the textbooks. Such differences, we argue, offer substantial didactical challenges to teachers trying to adapt their practices to the expectations of such imports.

The analysis of the content of school textbooks, particularly in a time of cross-cultural borrowing, is a growing field restricted by the tools currently available. In this paper, drawing on the analyses of three English year-one mathematics textbooks, we show how two approaches to the analysis of sequential data not only supplement conventional frequency analyses but highlight trends in the content of such textbooks hidden from frequency analyses alone. The first, moving averages, is conventionally used in science to eliminate noise and demonstrate trends in data. The second, Lorenz curves, is typically found in the social sciences to compare different forms of social phenomena. Both, as we show, extend the range of questions that can be meaningfully asked of textbooks. Finally, we speculate as to how both approaches can be used with other forms of ordered classroom data.

In this paper we compare adaptations of a Singaporean year-one mathematics textbook for use in England and Sweden respectively. The texts were analysed in two different ways against the eight dimensions of Foundational Number Sense (FoNS), a set of core competences that the literature has shown to be necessary for year-one children’s later mathematical learning. The first analysis, based on frequencies, showed that neither adaptation incorporated any opportunities for children to acquire the two FoNS competence relating to estimation and number patterns respectively. They also showed that the English adaptation comprised significantly more tasks than the Swedish, particularly with respect to systematic counting, where the former comprises 26% more tasks than the latter. The second analysis, based on moving averages, showed that across five of the six FoNS categories for which there were data, the temporal location and emphases of FoNS-related learning were comparable, with, in particular, no such opportunities after the mid-point of the school year in either book. However, the English adaptation’s presentation of systematic counting, occurring at various points throughout the school year, was substantially different from the Swedish adaptation, highlighting differences due, we speculate, to interpretations of local didactical traditions.

The present study investigated how 259 Swedish, grade 9 students, of whom 90 had an immigrant background, achieved on twelve written test items in the content area of number. Four of the twelve test items required good knowledge of arithmetic syntax, such as when it was appropriate to apply order-of-operation rules and the associative and distributive laws of arithmetic operations. On these four test items, the most-recently arrived students showed on average significantly more knowledge than the students who had immigrated when they were younger and had participated in Swedish schools for longer periods of time. The outcome suggests that these two groups of immigrant students in later school years should be considered as separate sub-categories of second-language students when it comes to teaching, assessment and research.