The Consequences of Experimentalism In Formulating Recommendations for Policy & Practice In Mathematics Education - Mathematics Assignment Help

Assignment Task

Mathematics Education 

The National Mathematics Advisory Panel's (2008
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel's (2008) recent  report sought to synthesize the '"best available scientific  evidence' to [recommend] ways '. . . to foster greater knowledge of and improved performance in mathematics among  American students'" (p. xiii). We support the effort to develop  recommendations for policy makers and teachers that are based  on high-quality research. The Panel produced a comprehensive report with an impressive array of supporting documents.  Unfortunately, the Panel took an overly narrow view of what  counts as scientific evidence, thereby failing to capitalize on much  of what is known about mathematics learning and teaching. As a  consequence, the Panel's report is less effective than it would oth  erwise have been in supporting policy makers and teachers to  make substantial improvements. 

 The Approach the Panel Used to Produce 
 The trustworthiness of research findings depends on the sound  ness of the method used to produce those findings (Bernstein,  1983; Lakatos, 1970; Popper, 1972). Similarly, the value of  the Panel's recommendations depend on the soundness of the  method the Panel used to (a) discriminate between trustworthy  and suspect research findings and (b) synthesize findings judged  to be trustworthy. In our view, there is good reason to be con  cerned about both of these steps in the Panel's approach.  The Panel used three categories to discriminate between trust  worthy and suspect studies. The first category of high-quality sci  entific evidence is reserved for "studies that test hypotheses, meet  the highest methodological standards (internal validity), and have  been replicated with diverse samples of students under conditions  that warrant generalization (external validity)" (p. 7-4). The Panel  assumed that only one methodology can produce high-quality sci  entific evidence: experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The  studies in the Panel's second category of promising or suggestive  findings "represent sound, scientific research that needs to be fur  ther investigated or extended" (p. 7-4) by conducting experimen  tal studies of instructional practices or existing curricula. "The final  category corresponds to statements based on values, impressions,  or weak evidence; these are essentially opinions as opposed to sci  entifically justified conclusions" (p. 7-4). Logic dictates that this  third category includes all studies conducted using any methodol  ogy other than the experimental methodology, regardless of their  quality. Having differentiated between research studies in this  manner, the Panel grouped studies that met its standards for sci  entific evidence according to the independent variables investi  gated, synthesized the findings of each group of studies, and where  possible, derived recommendations. 

In critiquing the Panel's approach, we differentiate between  experimental research as a methodology and experimentalism as  an ideology that holds that only studies conducted using this  methodology constitute a trustworthy basis for making recom  mendations to policy makers and practitioners. As we will clarify,  we consider experimental research to be a valuable methodology  that has the potential to make important contributions to the  three issues that are central to improving mathematics learning  improvement of mathematics teaching and learning.1 However,  and teaching, those of equity, the content of textbooks, and grad  uate education.  Educational Researcher, Vol. 37, No. 9, pp. 573-581  DOI: 10.3102/0013189X08327826  we will argue that experimentalism is an unhelpful position. The  Panel 

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