Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Designing, Conducting, and Publishing Quality Research in Mathematics Education pp 3–16Cite as

The Role of Theoretical Frameworks in Mathematics Education Research

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Research in Mathematics Education ((RME))

Abstract

Although both novice and experienced researchers can struggle with what theoretical frameworks are and why they are necessary, it is nevertheless clear that they are an important part of designing, carrying out, and reporting on research in our field. In this chapter, we attempt to clarify the roles played by theoretical frameworks in mathematics education and to explain why they are important and useful, both to individual researchers and to the field as a whole. Finally, we provide some examples of how different frameworks might be applied to a typical set of data: videotaped whole-class, teacher-student, and student-student interactions in a mathematics classroom.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    We agree with Ravitch and Riggan (2017) that “this overall confusion and lack of coherence will not be resolved by renaming things (or, worse yet, arguing about which things should get which names)” (p. 33).

  2. 2.

    We will, however, occasionally shorten the term to either framework or theory as seems reasonable.

  3. 3.

    Portions of this paper are based on an earlier uncopyrighted paper cited as Mewborn (2005) in the reference list.

References

  • Anfara, V. A., & Mertz, N. T. (2015). Theoretical frameworks in qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, J. A., & Williams, S. (2010). Social and analytic scaffolding in middle school mathematics: Managing the dilemma of telling. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 13, 7–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodie, K. (2010). Pressing dilemmas: Meaning making and justification in mathematics teaching. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 42, 27–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, E. (1994). Designing groupwork. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • diSessa, A. A. (1991). If we want to get ahead, we should get some theories. In R. G. Underhill & C. Brown (Eds.), Proceedings of the annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1, pp. 220–239). Blacksburg, VA: Christianburg Printing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhart, M. A. (1991). Conceptual frameworks for research circa 1991: Ideas from a cultural anthropologist; Implications for mathematics education researchers. In R. G. Underhill & C. Brown (Eds.), Proceedings of the annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1, pp. 202–219). Blacksburg, VA: Christianburg Printing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisner, E. W. (1985). The art of education evaluation: A personal view. Philadelphia, PA: Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elbow, P. (1973). Writing without teachers. London: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flinders, D., & Mills, G. (Eds.). (1993). Theory and concepts in qualitative research: Perspectives from the field. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franke, M. L., Turrou, A. C., Webb, N. M., Ing, M., Wong, J., Shim, N., & Fernandez, C. (2015). Student engagement with others’ mathematical ideas: The role of teacher invitation and support moves. Elementary School Journal, 116, 126–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago, IL: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kazemi, E., & Stipek, D. (2001). Promoting conceptual thinking in four upper-elementary mathematics classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 102, 59–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maher, C. A., & Wilkinson, L. C. (2019). Designing and conducting quality research in mathematics education: Building a program. In K. R. Leatham (Ed.), Designing, conducting, and publishing quality research in mathematics education. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. K. (1957). Social theory and social structure. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mewborn, D. S. (2005). Framing our work. In G. M. Lloyd, M. Wilson, J. L. M. Wilkins, & S. L. Behm (Eds.). Proceedings of the 27th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1–9). Roanoke, VA: Virginia Polytechnic and State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, C. W. (1959). The sociological imagination. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minsky, M. (1985). A framework for representing knowledge. In R. J. Brachman & H. J. Levesque (Eds.), Readings in knowledge representation (pp. 245–262). Los Altos, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravitch, S. M., & Riggan, M. (2017). Reason & rigor: How conceptual frameworks guide research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rumelhart, D. (1980). Schemata: The building blocks of cognition. In R. J. Shapiro, B. C. Bruce, & W. F. Brewster (Eds.), Theoretical issues in reading comprehension: Perspectives from cognitive psychology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and education (pp. 33–58). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schank, R. C., & Abelson, R. P. (1977). Scripts, plans, goals, and understanding: An inquiry into human knowledge structures. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schram, T. H. (2003). Conceptualizing qualitative inquiry: Mindwork for fieldwork in education and the social sciences. Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwandt, T. A. (1993). Theory for the moral sciences: Crisis of identity and purpose. In D. Flinders & G. Mills (Eds.), Theory and concepts in qualitative research: Perspectives from the field (pp. 5–23). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. S., & Stein, M. K. (2018). Five practices for orchestrating productive mathematics discussions (2nd ed.). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Theoretical. (2019). Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200416?rskey=llDwCA&result=1#eid

  • Turner, E., Dominguez, H., Maldonado, L., & Empson, S. (2013). English learners’ participation in mathematics discussion: Shifting positions and dynamic identities. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 44, 199–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Denise A. Spangler

  2. Department of Mathematics Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Steven R. Williams

Authors
  1. Denise A. Spangler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Steven R. Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denise A. Spangler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Keith R. Leatham

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Spangler, D.A., Williams, S.R. (2019). The Role of Theoretical Frameworks in Mathematics Education Research. In: Leatham, K.R. (eds) Designing, Conducting, and Publishing Quality Research in Mathematics Education. Research in Mathematics Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23505-5_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23505-5_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23504-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23505-5

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation