ABSTRACT
The achievement of the desired goals of mathematics education research requires the participation and cooperation of the teacher; researchers must consider how this participation and cooperation can best be ensured. The issue of methodology and the involvement of teachers and other decision-makers in the research process have been only indirectly addressed by the agenda. The aspects remain critical to the eventual success of the proposed research programme and therefore require serious and urgent consideration by all those engaged in mathematics education research. The essential dimension underlying current views on the nature of the algebra curriculum is the move from an emphasis on manipulative skills to an emphasis on conceptual understanding and problem solving, that is, a move from doing algebra to using algebra. A similar comment must apply to theoretical issues related to the learning and teaching of algebra. The research itself can be informed by the data derived from the study of the alternatives it incorporates.
