A Semiotic and Anthropological Approach to

The posing and solution of research problems in Mathematics Education requires the integration and adaptation of theoretical contributions made by different sciences and technologies interested in human cognition. In this paper, a theoretical model, intended to articulate the epistemological, anthropological, and psychological facets involved in teaching and learning mathematics, is presented. In this model we reconceptualize some basic constructs, such as mathematical object, meaning and understanding, as well as the study of their mutual relationships. Two interdependent dimensions (personal and institutional) are distinguished for these constructs, and a research agenda for Mathematics Education, based on the notions of 'semiometry ' and 'ecology of meaning', is also outlined. This model is based on the ontosemantic theory of mathematics described in Godino and Batanero (1994; in print), which acknowledges a fundamental role to problem situations and to the actions of people and institutions for building mathematical knowledge