Abstract
The conception of mathematics held by the teacher may have a great deal to do with the way in which mathematics is characterized in classroom teaching (Dossey, 1992). View of mathematics is distinguished precisely into epistemologies of mathematics and of mathematics education (Sierpinska & Lerman, 1996), but here I limit the discussion to epistemology of mathematics. The purpose of this study is to explore the educational effect of teachers' views of the relationship between the competencies and the nature of mathematics. The DeSeCo Project lays out conceptual framework for key competencies in an international context (Rychen & Salganik, 2003). The point I would like to make is that teachers' views of mathematics influence on teachers' views of key competencies. Through discussing, although the conceptual framework of the DeSeCo Project classifies competencies into three broad categories, there is only one category which called "use tools interactively" competencies would be linked to mathematics education. This "use tools interactively" competencies is consistent with external conceptions of mathematics rather than internal conceptions. But if we try to take key competencies as a whole, and think of as a goal in mathematics education, then teachers need for a having internal conception.
