The Status of Research on Mathematics Education at the Postsecondary Level
Abstract
The author reviews the literature on research in mathematics education at the postsecondary level published during the last 15 years. Constructivism has emerged as the epistemological foundation for mathematics education, and a substantial amount of research in the K-12 arena has addressed learning to teach within this framework. This research has focused on several areas, such as teachers' beliefs; how these beliefs impact instruction; how teachers change their teaching; and the role of pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and knowledge of student learning in instruction. Such is not the case in postsecondary mathematics education. Except for a handful of studies, most research at this level has focused on the student or on various pedagogical methods such as cooperative groups, using technology, and contrasting two curricula. Little attention has been given to mathematics teaching, faculty beliefs, or faculty change in response to educational reform. The author challenges readers to think in depth about the direction research in postsecondary mathematics education should take.
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