Book Review: An Introduction to Research in Mathematics Education

In MasterClass in Mathematics Education: International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning, editors Paul Andrews and Tim Rowland introduce research in mathematics education in the tradition of a Master Class. Each of the 17 chapters is organized around a set of core readings (four such readings for all but one chapter). Authors were asked “to include some commentary and/or exposition of the readings, and to set them in the broader context of ideas and methods to which they belong” (p. xiv). Each team of authors is actively engaged in research related to the topic of their chapter. This familiarity gives the reader a sense of having an “insider’s view” into the topics as well as an appreciation of the perspective (among many possibilities) that the chapter imparts with regard to the given topic. Throughout this review, we refer to the intended audience for this book—a novice to mathematics education research—as “the reader,” and to one who might assign or recommend the book to such a reader as “the mentor.” The two main purposes of this review are (a) to aid the mentor in deciding how to use this book with the reader and (b) to aid the reader as they use the book and are introduced to research in mathematics education. Thus, we hope the mentor will consider assigning this review as introductory reading. We have organized the review into three main sections. The first contains brief summaries of each of the 17 chapters, the second a critique of how well the book fulfills its primary purposes (as outlined in its preface), and the third our overall recommendations for use of the book.