Writing in Mathematics: A Survey of K-12 Teachers' Reported Frequency in the Classroom

Although writing in mathematics has been advocated in practitioner journals, policy documents, and various research, surveys of mathematics teachers between 1988 and 2008 in various English-speaking countries have reported relatively infrequent incorporation into mathematics lessons. Further, much of prior survey research has yielded only anecdotal evidence regarding the potential reasons why some teachers engage students more, or less, frequently in writing in mathematics. The present study provides a more current set of descriptive statistics regarding teachers' reported frequencies for writing in mathematics. Additionally, exploratory correlation analysis yielded findings regarding potential relationships for such frequencies. Findings indicate that subscribing to and reading professional journals, as well as participation in professional development on mathematical argumentation have statistically significant relationships to particular kinds of writing assignments and activities.