Research in Mathematics Education in Australasia, 1988-1991

Book excerpt: The Mathematics Education Research Group of Australia (MERGA) was officially constituted in 1980. In 1984, MERGA produced the first review of the mathematics education research carried out in that region. This book is the third in that series of research reviews. An overview provides the context in which the Australian research was conducted and relates that to an international context for mathematics education research. A total of 12 chapters have been divided into 3 parts with 4 chapters per part. Part 1 considers the social context within which mathematics educators carry out their research. Part 2 considers the role of cognition, language, learning strategies, and technology in learning mathematics. Part 3 focuses on particular areas of mathematics learning. The chapters are as follows: (1) "Politics of Mathematics Education in Australia" (J. Thomas); (2) "The Social and Cultural Context of Mathematics Education" (B. Atweh, T. Cooper, and C. Kanes); (3) "Gender: A Critical Variable in Mathematics Education" (G. Leder and H. Forgasz); and (4) "Research in Practice: Teachers as Researchers" (J. Mousley); (5) "Cognitive Studies in Mathematics Education" (L. English-Halford); (6) "Research in Learning Strategies in Mathematics" (K. Y. Wong and T. Herrington); (7) "Calculators and Computers in Teaching and Learning of Mathematics" (B. Doig, M. Carss, and P. Galbraith); and (8) "Language Factors in Mathematics Education" (N. Ellerton and P. Clarkson); (9) "Research on Early Childhood Mathematics Development" (R. Perry, J. Mulligan, and R. Wright); (10) "Research in Mathematical Problem Solving" (I. Putt and I. Isaacs); (11) "Research in Geometry and Measurement" (G. Davey and J. Pegg); and (12) "Research in Teaching and Learning Algebra" (M. Macgregor and C. Quinlan). A list of contributors is provided. (MDH)