Mathematics Education Research: A Guide for the Research Mathematician

Mathematics Education Research: A Guide for the Research Mathematician
Author: Curtis C. McKnight
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2000
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0821820168

Mathematics education research in undergraduate mathematics has increased significantly in the last decade and shows no signs of abating in the near future. Thus far, this research has often been associated with innovations in curriculum such as calculus reform, statistics education, and the use of computational and graphing technology in instruction. Mathematics education research, carefully conducted, is something far more fundamental and widely useful than might be implied by its use by the advocates of innovation in undergraduate mathematics education. Most simply, mathematics education research is inquiry by carefully developed research methods aimed at providing evidence about the nature and relationships of many mathematics learning and teaching phenomena. It seeks to clarify the phenomena, illuminate them, explain how they are related to other phenomena, and explain how this may be related to undergraduate mathematics course organization and teaching. This book-the collaborative effort of a research mathematician, mathematics education researchers who work in a research mathematics department and a professional librarian-introduces research mathematicians to education research. The work presents a non-jargon introduction for educational research, surveys the more commonly used research methods, along with their rationales and assumptions, and provides background and careful discussions to help research mathematicians read or listen to education research more critically. This guide is of practical interest to university-based research mathematicians, as it introduces the methodology of quantitative and qualitative research in education; provides critical guidelines for assessing the reliability and validity of mathematics education research; and explains how to use online database resources to locate education research. The book will also be valuable to graduate students in mathematics who are planning academic careers, and to mathematics department chairs and their deans.

Designing, Conducting, and Publishing Quality Research in Mathematics Education

Designing, Conducting, and Publishing Quality Research in Mathematics Education
Author: Keith R. Leatham
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2019-09-12
Genre: Education
ISBN: 303023505X

The purpose of this book is to collect, organize and disseminate collective wisdom with respect to designing, conducting, and publishing quality research in mathematics education. This wisdom will be gleaned from among those who, over the past several decades, have been instrumental in guiding the field in the pursuit of excellence in mathematics education research—insightful editors, educative reviewers, prolific writers, and caring mentors. Each chapter is written to the novice researcher with the intent of aiding them in avoiding common pitfalls, navigating difficult intellectual terrain, and understanding that they are not alone in experiencing rejection, frustration, confusion, and doubt. This book differs from existing literature in the sense that it is written about the enterprise of designing, conducting and publishing research in mathematics education as opposed to being reports of the results of such work. It also differs in the sense that it is written with the intent to mentor the rising generation as opposed to capture the state of the field (as would happen in a handbook, for example). It is written for the express purpose of helping the field work collectively to aid in the often isolated enterprise of mentoring new researchers. The primary audience is a potentially wide one: graduate students, novice researchers, graduate faculty, advisors, and mentors – or anyone seeking to improve their own abilities to design, conduct, and publish quality research in mathematics education.

Doing Research: A New Researcher’s Guide

Doing Research: A New Researcher’s Guide
Author: James Hiebert
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2022-12-02
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3031190785

This book is about scientific inquiry. Designed for early and mid-career researchers, it is a practical manual for conducting and communicating high-quality research in (mathematics) education. Based on the authors’ extensive experience as researchers, as mentors, and as members of the editorial team for the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME), this book directly speaks to researchers and their communities about each phase of the process for conceptualizing, conducting, and communicating high-quality research in (mathematics) education. In the late 2010s, both JRME and Educational Studies in Mathematics celebrated 50 years of publishing high-quality research in mathematics education. Many advances in the field have occurred since the establishment of these journals, and these anniversaries marked a milestone in research in mathematics education. Indeed, fifty years represents a small step for human history but a giant leap for mathematics education. The educational research community in general (and the mathematics education community in particular) has strongly advocated for original research, placing great emphasis on building knowledge and capacity in the field. Because it is an interdisciplinary field, mathematics education has integrated means and methods for scientific inquiry from multiple disciplines. Now that the field is gaining maturity, it is a good time to take a step back and systematically consider how mathematics education researchers can engage in significant, impactful scientific inquiry.

A Project-Based Guide to Undergraduate Research in Mathematics

A Project-Based Guide to Undergraduate Research in Mathematics
Author: Pamela E. Harris
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2020-04-17
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3030378535

This volume provides accessible and self-contained research problems designed for undergraduate student projects, and simultaneously promotes the development of sustainable undergraduate research programs. The chapters in this work span a variety of topical areas of pure and applied mathematics and mathematics education. Each chapter gives a self-contained introduction on a research topic with an emphasis on the specific tools and knowledge needed to create and maintain fruitful research programs for undergraduates. Some of the topics discussed include:• Disease modeling• Tropical curves and surfaces• Numerical semigroups• Mathematics EducationThis volume will primarily appeal to undergraduate students interested in pursuing research projects and faculty members seeking to mentor them. It may also aid students and faculty participating in independent studies and capstone projects.

Vital Directions for Mathematics Education Research

Vital Directions for Mathematics Education Research
Author: Keith R Leatham
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2014-07-08
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1461469775

This book provides a collection of chapters from prominent mathematics educators in which they each discuss vital issues in mathematics education and what they see as viable directions research in mathematics education could take to address these issues. All of these issues are related to learning and teaching mathematics. The book consists of nine chapters, seven from each of seven scholars who participated in an invited lecture series (Scholars in Mathematics Education) at Brigham Young University, and two chapters from two other scholars who are writing reaction papers that look across the first seven chapters. The recommendations take the form of broad, overarching principles and ideas that cut across the field. In this sense, this book differs from classical “research agenda projects,” which seek to outline specific research questions that the field should address around a central topic.

Mathematical Modelling in Education Research and Practice

Mathematical Modelling in Education Research and Practice
Author: Gloria Ann Stillman
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 596
Release: 2015-07-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3319182722

In this volume cultural, social and cognitive influences on the research and teaching of mathematical modelling are explored from a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives. The authors of the current volume are all members of the International Community of Teachers of Mathematical Modelling and Applications, the peak research body in this field. A distinctive feature of this volume is the high number of authors from South American countries. These authors bring quite a different perspective to modelling than has been showcased in previous books in this series, in particular from a cultural point of view. As well as recent international research, there is a strong emphasis on pedagogical issues including those associated with technology and assessment, in the teaching and learning of modelling. Applications at various levels of education are exemplified. The contributions reflect common issues shared globally and represent emergent or on-going challenges.

Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education VII

Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education VII
Author: Fernando Hitt
Publisher: American Mathematical Soc.
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2010-03-05
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 0821849964

The present volume of Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education, like previous volumes in this series, reflects the importance of research in mathematics education at the collegiate level. The editors in this series encourage communication between mathematicians and mathematics educators, and as pointed out by the International Commission of Mathematics Instruction (ICMI), much more work is needed in concert with these two groups. Indeed, editors of RCME are aware of this need and the articles published in this series are in line with that goal. Nine papers constitute this volume. The first two examine problems students experience when converting a representation from one particular system of representations to another. The next three papers investigate students learning about proofs. In the next two papers, the focus is instructor knowledge for teaching calculus. The final two papers in the volume address the nature of ``conception'' in mathematics. Whether they are specialists in education or mathematicians interested in finding out about the field, readers will obtain new insights about teaching and learning and will take away ideas that they can use.

Compendium for Early Career Researchers in Mathematics Education

Compendium for Early Career Researchers in Mathematics Education
Author: Gabriele Kaiser
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2019-04-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030156362

The purpose of this Open Access compendium, written by experienced researchers in mathematics education, is to serve as a resource for early career researchers in furthering their knowledge of the state of the field and disseminating their research through publishing. To accomplish this, the book is split into four sections: Empirical Methods, Important Mathematics Education Themes, Academic Writing and Academic Publishing, and a section Looking Ahead. The chapters are based on workshops that were presented in the Early Career Researcher Day at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-13). The combination of presentations on methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives shaping the field in mathematics education research, as well as the strong emphasis on academic writing and publishing, offered strong insight into the theoretical and empirical bases of research in mathematics education for early career researchers in this field. Based on these presentations, the book provides a state-of-the-art overview of important theories from mathematics education and the broad variety of empirical approaches currently widely used in mathematics education research. This compendium supports early career researchers in selecting adequate theoretical approaches and adopting the most appropriate methodological approaches for their own research. Furthermore, it helps early career researchers in mathematics education to avoid common pitfalls and problems while writing up their research and it provides them with an overview of the most important journals for research in mathematics education, helping them to select the right venue for publishing and disseminating their work.

Making the Connection

Making the Connection
Author: Marilyn Paula Carlson
Publisher: MAA
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2008
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780883851838

The chapters in this volume convey insights from mathematics education research that have direct implications for anyone interested in improving teaching and learning in undergraduate mathematics. This synthesis of research on learning and teaching mathematics provides relevant information for any math department or individual faculty member who is working to improve introductory proof courses, the longitudinal coherence of precalculus through differential equations, students' mathematical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and students' understanding of fundamental ideas such as variable and rate of change. Other chapters include information about programs that have been successful in supporting students' continued study of mathematics. The authors provide many examples and ideas to help the reader infuse the knowledge from mathematics education research into mathematics teaching practice. University mathematicians and community college faculty spend much of their time engaged in work to improve their teaching. Frequently, they are left to their own experiences and informal conversations with colleagues to develop new approaches to support student learning and their continuation in mathematics. Over the past 30 years, research in undergraduate mathematics education has produced knowledge about the development of mathematical understandings and models for supporting students' mathematical learning. Currently, very little of this knowledge is affecting teaching practice. We hope that this volume will open a meaningful dialogue between researchers and practitioners toward the goal of realizing improvements in undergraduate mathematics curriculum and instruction.

Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education

Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education
Author: Lyn D. English
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 739
Release: 2015-07-30
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134626649

This third edition of the Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent theoretical and practical developments in the field of mathematics education. Authored by an array of internationally recognized scholars and edited by Lyn English and David Kirshner, this collection brings together overviews and advances in mathematics education research spanning established and emerging topics, diverse workplace and school environments, and globally representative research priorities. New perspectives are presented on a range of critical topics including embodied learning, the theory-practice divide, new developments in the early years, educating future mathematics education professors, problem solving in a 21st century curriculum, culture and mathematics learning, complex systems, critical analysis of design-based research, multimodal technologies, and e-textbooks. Comprised of 12 revised and 17 new chapters, this edition extends the Handbook’s original themes for international research in mathematics education and remains in the process a definitive resource for the field.