Christensen (2017) stated that we all use math in everyday applications whether we're

aware of it or not. If you look hard enough, you'll see math emerge from some of the

most unlikely places. Mathematics is the universal language of our environment, helping

mankind explain and create. From playing games to playing music, math is vital to

helping students fine tune their creativity and turn their dreams into reality.

Furthermore, according to Mosvold (2010), Mathematics in school is therefore

supposed to be connected with the outside world, and the pupils should construct their

own mathematical concepts. We believe that these ideas are not separated, but closely

connected, at least in the teaching situation. It is also indicated in the last quote that the

starting point should be a meaningful situation. This will often be a situation from

everyday life, a realistic situation or what could be called an experientially real situation.

The Norwegian syllabus therefore connects these issues.

Chaparro (2017) affirmed that different studies have shown that mathematical dexterity

is related to better health and that it influences making daily decisions, analyzing

problems, and finding solutions with the available data, leaving emotions to one side.

Moreover, being familiar with numbers in childhood could influence getting a better job

in the future.

In research published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, Peters

(2017) has studied how mathematical ability influences decision-making. People who

face day-to-day life with the help of numbers are less prone to be the victims of scams

and tend to weigh different options with data, without being influenced by the opinions

or emotions of other people, which would be the easiest, though less accurate, way.
Tupas (2012) conducted a study entitled “Effectiveness of Problem-Based Learning

Approach to the Students’ Problem Solving Performance”, results of the study showed

that exposing them to various routine and non-routine problems enable students to

apply mathematical concepts and understanding into real life problem situations. This

makes mathematics more relevant which enhanced students’ interest and level of

performance in mathematics.

Chaparro (2017) using data from the National Child Development Study, which

encompasses more than 17,000 people over a period of about fifty years—from the time

they were born in 1958 to today—researchers found that participants with higher

reading and math skills when they were children ended up having a good strategy on

how they will face and resolve their real life problems.