Mathematics education research

The Mathematics Education Unit has been an integral part of the Department of Mathematics since 1992, covering a wide range of research topics pertaining to secondary and university mathematics education.

Working on a whiteboard

Research topics

Our staff are engaged in several research projects within the area of mathematics education.

Meaningful learning in mathematics and statistics

We carry out theoretical and empirical explorations into the fundamental processes involved in learning secondary and university level mathematics and statistics.

Our current research focuses on the learning experience and understanding of particular mathematical disciplines. We also study broader cross-disciplinary ideas in areas such as algorithms, conceptual growth, problem-solving, visualisation and more.

Mathematics and statistics lecturing and teaching

We have a rich history of research on mathematics and statistics lecturing and teaching in university and school settings.

The DATUM approach is an innovative professional development model for mathematics lecturers and other communities of practice. It allows educators to develop new pedagogies that extend their philosophies of teaching, learning and mathematics and statistics.

Design of mathematical and statistical resources

This research has a twin focus on practical design and theoretical innovation.

To enhance teaching and learning in schools and universities, we design practical resources; including dynamic visualisation software. Alongside these tools, we develop theoretical principles and explanations for how and why they work or don’t work.

Emerging researcher knowledge in mathematics education

The mathematics education research community is diverse. Given this diversity, how can we best support emerging researchers in mathematics education?

We draw on our own research experience, as well as our interactions with research students and colleagues to explore questions of researcher knowledge, background and practice.

Our researchers

Dr Tanya Evans

  • Mathematical cognition
  • Mathematics assessment (including large-scale standardised assessments: PISA and TIMSS)
  • Mathematics learning and teaching in university and secondary school
  • The interrelationship between the affective (emotions, attitudes, beliefs), cognitive, and social dimensions of mathematics learning

Dr Igor' Kontorovich

  • Mathematics learning and teaching in university and secondary school
  • Sense making of fundamental mathematics concepts and processes, with attention to digital technology
  • Mathematicians' research and teaching practices
  • Theories of mathematics learning

Dr Ofer Marmur

  • Mathematics learning and teaching in university and secondary school
  • The interrelationship between the affective (emotions, attitudes, beliefs), cognitive, and social dimensions of mathematics learning
  • The role of gestures in mathematical thinking
  • The advancement of teachers’ mathematical and pedagogical knowledge

Associate Professor Caroline Yoon

  • Stories in mathematics education
  • Arts-based research in mathematics education
  • Creative approaches to mathematics teaching and learning
  • Kindness and nonviolence in mathematics education

Dr Stephanie Budgett (Statistics Department)
Dr Anna Fergusson (Statistics Department)

Notable visitors

The Department of Mathematics hosts many international visitors some of our notable visitors in the field of mathematics education include:

  • Professor Keith Devlin (Stanford)
  • Professor Matthew Inglis (Loughborough University)
  • Professor Barbara Jaworski (Loughborough University)