This licentiate thesis is concerned with applying the Japanese problem solving oriented (PSO) teaching approach to Swedish mathematics classrooms. The overall aim of my research project is to describe and investigate the viability of PSO as design tool for teaching mathematics. The PSO approach is a variation of a more general Japanese teaching paradigm referred to as “structured problem solving”. These teaching methods aim to stimulate the process of students’ mathematical thinking and have their focus on enhancing the students’ attitudes towards engaging in mathematical activities. The empirical data are collected using interviews, observations and video recordings over a period of nine months, following two Swedish lower secondary school classes. Chevallard’s anthropological framework is used to analyse which mathematical knowledge is exposed in the original Japanese lesson plans and in the lessons observed in the classrooms. In addition, Brousseau’s framework of learning mathematics is applied to analyse the perception of individual students and particular situations in the classroom.

The results show that the PSO based lesson plans induce a complex body of mathematical knowledge, where different areas of mathematics are linked. It is found that the discrepancy between the Japanese and Swedish curriculum cause some limitations for the adaptation of the lesson plans, especially in the area of Geometry. Four distinct aspects of the PSO approach supporting the teaching of mathematics are presented.