Bobis, Bruce and McAteer

Professional Learning Through Collaborative Action Research in Mathematics: Three Perspectives, Three Nations

Dr. Janette Bobis, University of Sydney, Australia; Dr. Catherine D. Bruce, Trent University, ON, Canada; Dr. Mary McAteer, Edge Hill University, UK

Abstract

In order to recognize and understand the culture of action research within the field of mathematics education, researchers Bobis, Bruce and McAteer explored action research initiatives and outcomes in three nations: Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. The three projects reported here delve into complimentary but distinct areas of mathematics educational research. The first reports on action research to increase student motivation and engagement in mathematics; the second describes a project of collaborative action research with teachers to improve fractions teaching and learning; and the third explores narratives of change in attitude to improve mathematics teaching practice. Each project is described in terms of project scope, activity, findings, and of the processes that researchers and teachers engaged in to study mathematics teaching and learning. Finally, the significance of this work, across studies, nations and populations is discussed. This paper forms a summary of the symposium, where researchers shared and explored perspectives on professional learning through collaborative action research in mathematics in these separate and distinct jurisdictions in an effort to facilitate effective multi-national dialogue and reflection.

Keywords

Action Research; Professional Learning; Mathematics Knowledge; Beliefs and Practices