ABSTRACT
Mathematics education research has developed over the last 50 years from its early grounding in psychology into a rich and diverse field of endeavor. At the same time, there is a growing international concern that we are failing the upcoming generations. In many Western countries, fewer school students are undertaking mathematics at high levels. There are calls for improved curricula, better teaching, and structural changes to education systems that will lead to more people wanting to take up mathematics teaching as a career—and a constant refrain of increased accountability. Schoenfeld (2008, p. 513) suggested that the difficulties faced by mathematics education were twofold. Internal to the field, as it expands and takes on new theories and methodologies, is the necessity to “develop and impose the highest standards for its own conduct.” To meet external demands for sound and trustworthy information, the methods used should “gather evidence that provides solid warrants for the claims being made.” These demands create significant challenges for mathematics education research in designing studies that are rigorous and methodologically sound, and that provide information to practitioners, including policy makers, curriculum and resources developers, teachers, parents, and their students, that meets their very diverse expectations.
