Mathematics Education in Secondary Schools and Didactics of Mathematics in the Period Between the Two World Wars

This chapter sketches the situation in (mathematics) education in the Netherlands between the two World Wars, with emphasis on pre-university education. For a full understanding of the nature and background to the discussion about mathematics education, first the various school types that existed at that time in secondary and pre-university education (VHMO) are discussed, while elucidating their origins, the underlying motives and their aims. Apart from the school types, the disputes within mathematics education and some of the important players in that field are also reviewed.