E Pluribus Unum: Challenges of Diversity in the Future of Mathematics Education Research

1994 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-754
Author(s):  
Edward A. Silver ◽  
Jeremy Kilpatrick

Our task in preparing this article on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Journal for Research in Marhematics Education (JRME) was to look ahead to the future of research in the field and to identify and discuss issues that might be important for the next decade or two in the life of the journal. Rather than merely offering our own opinions and speculations. we decided to interview a number of other researchers, some from the United States and some from other countries, to sample their views regarding the current state of research in mathematics education, the issues that may affect the future of the field, and the role of the JRME in the current and future scene. In particular, we asked these researchers to identify examples of work they considered significant and to comment on its imponant characteristics. We probed their definitions of the field by asking them to identify the types of work (e.g., empirical studies, historical or theoretical analyses) they judged could legitimately be called research in mathematics education. We explored their visions of the future of research over the next few decades. And we questioned them about the role and place of the JRME in the research community and about its impact on the field. In addition, we participated in a conference on Research in Mathematics Education and Its Results in May 1994 that was part of a study conducted by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). The discussion document framing the study (Sierpinska et al., 1993) and many of the presentations and conversations at the ICMI Research Conference should be acknowledged as sources of ideas for the article. Naturally, we have included our own opinions, analyses, and perspectives.

Author(s):  
Garrett Hardin

The cosmopolitan approach is required for some worldwide problems, such as ozone depletion, acid rain, and the exhaustion of oceanic fisheries. By contrast, potholes and population call for a parochial orientation. But if local "laissez-faire" in population matters is interpreted to mean no borders, a suicidal commons results. To survive, rich nations must refuse immigration to people who are poor because their governments are unable or unwilling to stop population growth. With its borders secured, how is a nation to control its own population growth? In one sense population control is inevitable; in another problematical. If the citizens of a nation pay absolutely no attention to their numbers, population will eventually be controlled by "nature"—by disease, starvation, and the social disorders that follow from too many people fighting for limited resources. But when wellwishers call for "population control" they mean something gentler than nature's ultimate response. Can we now predict what form successful human measures will take? I don't think we can, because the question demands that we successfully predict human history. Who, in the year 1700, could have predicted the Constitution of the United States? Who, in 1900, could have predicted Chernobyl? What happens in history is the result of the interaction of (first) the dependable "Laws of Nature" with (second) the apparent capriciousness of human nature. As concerns the first component, Francis Bacon should be our guide: "Nature to be commanded must be obeyed." Coming to the second factor we turn to the inventor of the holograph, the Nobelist Dennis Gabor: "The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented." Ignorance of this insight leads the public to take too seriously the projections of demographers (who rightly insist that they cannot predict the future). Demographers merely project curves—present trends—into the unknown future, all the while knowing—as Rene Dubos said-—that trend is not destiny. This book has been one long dissertation on the laws of nature that must be obeyed, namely: the properties of exponential growth; limits generally; the properties of usury; the significance of human unreliability; and the consequences of reproductive competition (including natural selection). But within these limitations lie many possibilities of population control. Some controls are kinder than others.


1994 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 559
Author(s):  
James W. Wilson ◽  
Catherine A. Brown ◽  
Carolyn Kieran ◽  
Frank K. Lester

This special issue of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education was prepared to help celebrate the 25th anniversary year of the journal. President Mary Lindquist appointed an ad hoc task force to develop activities to mark this 25th year. Input was solicited from former editorial board members and editors and from others throughout mathematics education. We came to a recognition that doing something to reflect on the journal's journey over the past 25 years, while underscoring the scholarship that guides our work, would be a vehicle to help look ahead to the next 25 years.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Ahdab Saaty

The article argues that the Aristotelian appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos) can be taught through the use of Twitter as an educational tool to build connections between everyday informal writing on social media and academic writing. It highlights the utilization of Twitter in English second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) educational settings for supporting learners’ rhetorical awareness and understanding of different writing genres. The main purpose of this article is to provide pedagogical implications and future research potentials on the use of Twitter in ESL/EFL educational settings. The Aristotelian appeals are discussed as the framework for the analysis of Twitter’s content in ESL/EFL educational contexts. In this regard, this research question is addressed: How can Twitter serve as a tool for teaching the fundamentals of writing competency in terms of the Aristotelian appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos) in ESL/EFL educational settings? To explore the current state of research and inform future studies, the researcher reviews selected academic articles on the use of Twitter in ESL/EFL language classes. All articles were accessed using Google Scholar, ERIC, and ProQuest databases. The researcher examines empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals as well as non-empirical studies. This article addresses Twitter users’ constructions of logos, ethos, and pathos, and presents some of the accessible characteristics of Twitter. Also, it briefly provides pedagogical implications of understanding the Aristotelian appeals through Twitter in ESL/EFL educational contexts that can support the teaching and learning processes. Lastly, the researcher proposes potential research directions for Twitter use in ESL/EFL educational settings.


Author(s):  
Timothy P. Storhoff

 The Epilogue is dived into three categories: “US-Cuban Relations in the Trump Era,” “Play On: Musical Diplomacy Continues,” and the final “Conclusion.” In this last chapter, the author delves into the current state of US-Cuban relations. The future of US-Cuban musical exchanges is uncertain in the age of Trump. Yet, musical interaction continues to create ties between the United States and Cuba even as diplomatic and economic normalization appears to have stalled. Thus, the author states, this story is still incomplete.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 852-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Chamberlin

The idea for this book originated at the first joint meeting of the Korean Mathematical Society and the American Mathematical Society, held in Seoul, South Korea, on December 16–20, 2009. Contributing authors from Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Israel, Iran, China, Canada, South Korea, and the United States provide international perspectives on creativity and giftedness in mathematics education. The vast majority of the book is comprised of reports from empirical studies. In this respect, the book is not theory driven, per se. Instead, the focus is on reporting findings from studies in an attempt to elucidate the relationship between giftedness and creativity in mathematics. In this review, I provide a brief synopsis of each chapter (except Chapter 1, which outlines the book) and discuss the relevance of the work to the literature on mathematical creativity and giftedness. The overview of the chapters is followed by general remarks on the state of mathematics education research on creativity and giftedness and final thoughts about the contribution of this book to the field.


10.28945/4179 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 085-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Tolman ◽  
Juliann S McBrayer ◽  
Deborah Evans

Aim/Purpose: This study examined doctoral faculty of educational leadership within the state of Georgia in the United States. The aim was to illustrate the academic qualifications and practitioner experiences of the faculty that develop students in educational leadership programs to be scholarly practitioners and future educational leaders. Background: Faculty of educational leadership programs prepare their students to hold imminent senior leadership roles in P-12 school administration and higher education administration. In this apprenticeship model, doctoral faculty utilize their academic qualifications and/or practitioner experiences to develop students into scholarly practitioners. Methodology: A descriptive quantitative study utilizing content analysis was conducted to examine faculty of doctoral programs in educational leadership (n=83). True to this methodology, the inquiry of this study sought to better understand the academic qualifications and practitioner experiences of doctoral faculty in the field of educational leadership. Contribution: This study serves as a primer for faculty and researchers to visualize the doctoral faculty of educational leadership programs. It can serve as a catalyst to encourage empirical studies of educational leadership faculty and their effectiveness in preparing scholarly practitioners. Findings: Key findings included that nearly 2/3 of the faculty have their terminal degrees from a Research 1 institution, 3/5 hold a PhD, and 3/4 have practitioner experience in their respective field. Recommendations for Practitioners: Doctoral programs should examine the diversity of the academic qualifications and practitioner experiences of their faculty and develop strategies to enhance their programs with these complimenting skill sets. Recommendation for Researchers: Descriptive studies effectively “dip our toe” into a new area of inquiry. Considerations for future research includes examining student perceptions of their faculty who hold either a PhD or Ed.D, as well as those who are academics versus practitioners to better understand their effectiveness. Impact on Society: True to the work of John Dewey, education serves as the vehicle to promote a democratic society. Recognizing these doctoral faculty are preparing the future leaders of education, understanding the experiences of faculty will allow for better insight into those who are ultimately shaping the future of education. Future Research: Future research should focus on empirical studies that explore the effectiveness of faculty based on their academic qualifications and practitioner experiences through the lens of student perceptions.


Author(s):  
Stuart O. Schweitzer ◽  
Z. John Lu

Recognizing that the past often does not predict the future well, this chapter nevertheless offers prescience for the pharmaceutical industry in the next five to ten years. Using the standard economics paradigm of supply, demand, and market equilibrium, it considers the future of the industry in the following aspects: industrial organization, the nascent biosimilar sector, the promise of personalized medicine and digital healthcare information, artificial intelligence, the prospects for outpatient bundled payment programs, the setting of pharmaceutical prices, and the role of the FDA. The most important among them will be the scope and nature of health care reform in the United States and the jurisdiction of the FDA in the coming years.


Author(s):  
Taiwo Oseni ◽  
Susan Valerie Foster ◽  
Rahim Mahbubur ◽  
Stephen Patrick Smith

Post-implementation amendments to ERP systems (ERP-PIA) are of importance for advancing ERP research, but more importantly essential if ERP systems are to be used as a strategic and competitive business tool. For ease of clarity, we have adopted the term “amendments” to encompass the main forms of post implementation activities: maintenance, enhancements and upgrades. The term ‘amendments’ is used to counteract one of the major findings from this research - the inconsistency of terms used by many authors to explain post implementation activities. This paper presents a review of the ERP post-implementation amendment literature in order to provide answers to two specific questions: first, what is the current state of research in the field of ERP-PIA; and second, what are the future research directions that need to be explored in the field of ERP-PIA. From the review, we develop a framework to identify: (a) major themes concerning ERP post-implementation amendments, (b) inherent gaps in the post-implementation amendments literature, and (c) specific areas that require further research attention influencing the uptake of amendments. Suggestions on empirical evaluation of research directions and their relevance in the extension of existing literature is presented.


Author(s):  
Carl Kitchens

This chapter examines the electrification experience in the United States from 1880 to 1960, noting electricity’s effects on manufacturing and agricultural productivity, changes in the demand for worker skills, and changes in household structure. The chapter also discusses how the rise of a new industry led to new regulations and addressed discrepancies in service between urban and rural areas and presents evidence on the current state of research into the effects of these institutional changes on electricity pricing and economic growth. This historical literature can inform the current debate on the impact of large infrastructure projects in developing countries, and of electrification in particular. With over half of the world’s population still yet to acquire consistent access to electricity, these issues remain pertinent to the current policy sphere.


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