The Impact of Educational Research on Mathematics Education

Abstract

The failure of educational research to impact teaching and learning has been lamented almost from the beginnings of educational research itself In this chapter, I explore some of the reasons for this failure and attempt to suggest how educational research might impact the teaching and learning of mathematics more effectively in the future. I begin by arguing that classroom practices in mathematics education are, in fact, relatively stable and have changed little over recent decades. To try to understand why that is, I trace briefly the history of educational research and suggest that the major reason for the failure of research to impact practice is the emphasis on analytic rationality as the method to generate knowledge in education. By focusing on the nature of expertise in teaching, I argue that a focus on Aristotle’s intellectual virtue of ‘practical wisdom’ would be more appropriate and suggest some ways in this change of focus could lead to a more productive relationship between research and practice.