The Quality of Mathematics Education Technology Literature

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Published: Apr 10, 2015
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56645/jmde.v11i24.397
Keywords:
education, mathematics education, technology

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Robert N. Ronau
University of Cincinnati
Christopher R. Rakes
University of Maryland Baltimore County
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0378-9388
Sarah B. Bush
Bellarmine Univerfsity
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5041-5050
Shannon O. Driskell
University of Dayton
Margaret L. Niess
Oregon State University
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1673-0978
David Pugalee
University of North Carolina
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3356-1600

Abstract

Background: The present study evaluated the quality of 1,165 scholarly literature papers about mathematics education technology literature.


Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which mathematics education technology literature reports the information needed to support the scientific basis of a study.


Setting: N/A


Intervention: N/A


Research Design: A systematic review was used to organize the data collection and analysis processes


Data Collection and Analysis: A literature search was conducted to identify scholarly papers that addressed the use of technology in mathematics education. A coding process was developed to record descriptive information about each paper. The Quality Framework developed for this process provided a structure to identify key information across research types based on types of analyses conducted, assigning a certain number of possible points based on the type of research conducted.


Findings: Dissertations accounted for a surprisingly high portion of the literature and research: 39.7% of the available literature and 57.0% of the research studies. The overall quality of the mathematics education technology literature was lower than we expected, averaging only 48.9% of the points possible. We noted that the quality of research papers, with respect to possible point values averaged 54.6% over four decades. For mathematics education technology researchers, manuscript reviewers, and editors, these results suggest that more attention is needed on the information being included and excluded from scholarly papers, especially with regard to connections to theoretical frameworks and research designs.

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How to Cite
Ronau, R. N., Rakes, C. R., Bush, S. B., Driskell, S. O., Niess, M. L., & Pugalee, D. (2015). The Quality of Mathematics Education Technology Literature. Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation, 11(24), 12–36. https://doi.org/10.56645/jmde.v11i24.397
Issue
Vol. 11 No. 24 (2015)
Section
Research on Evaluation Articles
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Author Biographies

Robert N. Ronau, University of Cincinnati

Dr. Robert N. Ronau Visiting Instructor at the University of Cincinnati and an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Louisville whose research interests and publications include the teacher knowledge, quality of mathematics education research, mathematics teacher preparation and teacher and student assessment.  Dr. Ronau was a principle investigator of LASMARTER an NSF funded project to engage mathematicians and secondary mathematics teachers in curriculum development; and Co-PI on the U2MAST project what was funded through the US Department of Education and which developed diagnostic assessments for mathematics and science elementary and middle school teachers (DTAMS).  He currently serves as a Co-PI on the NSF Funded project, Geometry Assessments for Secondary Teachers (GAST), and Co-PI on the IES funded DTAMS project (to update the original DTAMS).  In addition, Dr. Ronau leads two research teams: 1) MathTech, which is a group of researchers investigating the quality of mathematics education and KTMT (Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Tasks) which is a Research Action Group of the Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership (MTEP) through the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU).  KTMT is charged with developing formative assessment tasks for mathematics teacher education programs.

Christopher R. Rakes, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Christopher Rakes, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at UMBC. Dr. Rakes spent two years coordinating the peer review of grant proposals for the Institute of Education Sciences (Mathematics and Science, Early Childhood Education, and Postdoctoral Research Training panels), where he also edited reports from the National Center of Education Statistics and a practice guide on mathematics problem solving from the National Center of Education Evaluation. His research focuses on student learning in mathematics and the factors leading to misconceptions, teacher knowledge and the role of teacher knowledge in classroom practice, and the use of technology in mathematics education.

Sarah B. Bush, Bellarmine Univerfsity

Sarah Bush, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education. She earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Mathematics Education from the University of Louisville. Her research focuses on students’ misconceptions in the learning of algebra and role of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She is author of several publications including Unfolding the Solution of Linear Systems in the Mathematics Teacher, an upcoming article on financial literacy entitled Invest in Financial Literacy! in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, and an upcoming article based on the mathematics behind the adolescent literature series The Hunger Games entitled Hunger Games: What are the Chances? in Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School. She serves on the Executive Board of the Greater Louisville Council of Teachers of Mathematics as membership co-chair and president-elect. Additionally, she has been appointed program chairperson for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Meeting to be held in Louisville, KY in 2013. At Bellarmine, she teaches methods of teaching mathematics to pre-service elementary, middle, and secondary teachers and supervises middle and secondary mathematics student teachers.

Shannon O. Driskell, University of Dayton

Associate Professor in the Mathematics Department.

Margaret L. Niess, Oregon State University

Margaret (Maggie) Niess is a Professor Emeritus of Science and Mathematics Education in the Department of Science and Mathematics Education at Oregon State University. Her research focuses on integrating technology in education, specifically in the preparation of mathematics and science teachers for teaching with technology. She has most recently focused on teachers' development of technology pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) - considering how both preservice and inservice teachers develop this knowledge for teaching mathematics and science, effectively integrating technology as an integral tool for learning. This work has evolved and is now referred to as TPACK (Technology, Pedagogy, And, Content Knowledge) as the Total Package for teaching with technology.

David Pugalee, University of North Carolina

David Pugalee is Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he is Director for the Center for Mathematics, Science, & Technology Education. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research interest is the relationship between language and mathematics teaching and learning. He taught at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels before moving into higher education. His list of publications include research articles in Educational Studies in Mathematics and School Science and Mathematics. His works include several books and book chapters published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics as well as two books on the relationship between language and literacy. He has served as been the leader on a number of grants focusing on teacher content and pedagogical knowledge at multiple school levels particularly at the middle and secondary school levels.

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