An Integrative and Exploratory Literature Review for the Three Options of Numeracy Translations in Portuguese

Abstract Numeracy appeared in the field of Mathematics Education in 1959, in the United Kingdom, as analogous to literacy. We found three translations for numeracy in the Portuguese literature, namely: numeralização, numeramento, and numeracia . In addition, other expressions exist that, in some cases, are used as approximations or translations for numeracy. Thus, this article seeks to conduct an integrative and exploratory review of academic literature in Portuguese, aiming to understand the reasons that explain the emergence and existence of the three translations presented and possible conceptual differences between them. For that, 479 different works were related. Of these, 263 publications were left to be analyzed. The results show that numeralização and numeracia are similar concepts, with the difference that the former is usually used in the context of early childhood while the latter is generic concerned to the public. The term numeramento followed another conceptual trajectory, in which the technical aspects are subordinate to the relational and socio-cultural ones.