Journal for Research in Mathematics Education

An official journal of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), JRME is the premier research journal in mathematics education and is devoted to the interests of teachers and researchers at all levels--preschool through college.

Author:

My academic family lost our patriarch, Jeremy Kilpatrick, on September 17, 2022. As I write this in October, reflecting on his legacy to our field feels timely. After a brief biographical sketch, I explore how Jeremy's influence, particularly in his role as Editor in Chief of JRME, shaped our field—and my own work as editor.

One of the challenges of understanding the complexity of so-called reform mathematics instruction lies in the observational tools used to capture it. This article introduces a unique tool, drawing from commognitive theory, for describing classroom discussions. The Realization Tree Assessment tool provides an image of a classroom discussion, depicting the realizations of the mathematical object manifested during the discussion and the narratives that articulate the links between these realizations. We applied the tool to 34 classroom discussions about a growing-pattern algebraic task and, through cluster analysis, found three types of whole-class discussion. Associations with classroom-level variables (track, but not grade level or teacher seniority) were also found. Implications with respect to applications and usefulness of the tool are discussed.

This exploratory study investigated the behaviors and content of onscreen calculator usage by a nationally representative sample of eighth-grade students who responded to items from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. Meaningful features were generated from the process data to infer whether students spontaneously used calculators for mathematical problem solving, how frequently and when they used them, and the nature of the operations performed on calculators. Sequential pattern mining was applied on sequences of calculator keystrokes to obtain patterns of operations that were representative of students’ problem-solving strategies or processes. Results indicated that higher scoring students not only were more likely to use calculators, but also used them in a more goal-driven manner than lower scoring students.

We report on an innovative design of algorithmic analysis that supports automatic online assessment of students’ exploration of geometry propositions in a dynamic geometry environment. We hypothesized that difficulties with and misuse of terms or logic in conjectures are rooted in the early exploration stages of inquiry. We developed a generic activity format for if–then propositions and implemented the activity on a platform that collects and analyzes students’ work. Finally, we searched for ways to use variation theory to analyze ninth-grade students’ recorded work. We scored and classified data and found correlation between patterns in exploration stages and the conjectures students generated. We demonstrate how automatic identification of mistakes in the early stages is later reflected in the quality of conjectures.

The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education is published online five times a year—January, March, May, July, and November—at 1906 Association Dr., Reston, VA 20191-1502. Each volume’s index is in the November issue. JRME is indexed in Contents Pages in Education, Current Index to Journals in Education, Education Index, Psychological Abstracts, Social Sciences Citation Index, and MathEduc.

An official journal of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), JRME is the premier research journal in mathematics education and is devoted to the interests of teachers and researchers at all levels--preschool through college. JRME presents a variety of viewpoints. The views expressed or implied in JRME are not the official position of the Council unless otherwise noted.

JRME is a forum for disciplined inquiry into the teaching and learning of mathematics. The editors encourage submissions including:

  • Research reports, addressing important research questions and issues in mathematics education,
  • Brief reports of research,
  • Research commentaries on issues pertaining to mathematics education research.

 

More information about each type of submission is available here. If you have questions about the types of manuscripts JRME publishes, please contact jrme@nctm.org.

Editorial Board

The JRME Editorial Board consists of the Editorial Team and Editorial Panel.  The Editorial team, led by JRME Editor Patricio Herbst, leads the review, decision and editorial/publication process for manuscripts.  The Editorial Panel reviews manuscripts, sets policy for the journal, and continually seeks feedback from readers. The following are members of the current JRME Editorial Board.

Editorial Staff  

Patricio Herbst

University of Michigan; Editor

Sandra Crespo     

Michigan State University; Associate Editor
Percival Matthews University of Wisconsin - Madison; Associate Editor
Erin Lichtenstein

University of Michigan; Assistant Editor

Michael Ion

University of Michigan; Editorial Assistant

Daniel Chazan University of Maryland; Research Commentary Editor


Editorial Panel 

Karl Kosko

Kent State University; Chair

Jennifer Suh

George Mason University; Board of Directors Liaison

Lillie Albert

Boston College

Tutita Casa

University of Connecticut

Teddy Chao               

Ohio State University                

Toya Frank

George Mason University

Luis Levya

Vanderbilt University

Ami Mamolo

Ontario Tech University

Kate Melhuish

Texas State University

Chandra Orrill

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Eva Thanheiser

Portland State University

Annie Wilhelm

Southern Methodist University

William Zahner

San Diego State University

David E. Barnes

NCTM, Reston, Virginia; Staff Liaison

 

International Advisory Board  

Sigrid Blömeke

Norway

Faaiz Gierdien

South Africa

Ghislaine Gueudet

France

Haiyue Jin

China

Oh Nam Kwon

South Korea

Thomas Lowrie

Australia

Luis Pino-Fan

Chile

 

Headquarters Journal Staff 

David E. Barnes

Associate Executive Director

Ken Krehbiel

Executive Director

Scott Rodgerson

Director of Publications and Creative Services 

Sandy Jones

Production Manager

 

 

The editors of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) encourage the submission of a variety of manuscripts. Manuscripts must be submitted through the JRME Online Submission and Review System

Research Reports

JRME publishes a wide variety of research reports that move the field of mathematics education forward. These include, but are not limited to, various genres and designs of empirical research; philosophical, methodological, and historical studies in mathematics education; and literature reviews, syntheses, and theoretical analyses of research in mathematics education. Papers that review well for JRME generally include these Characteristics of a High-Quality Manuscript. The editors strongly encourage all authors to consider these characteristics when preparing a submission to JRME. 

The maximum length for Research Reports is 13,000 words including abstract, references, tables, and figures.

Brief Reports

Brief reports of research are appropriate when a fuller report is available elsewhere or when a more comprehensive follow-up study is planned.

  • A brief report of a first study on some topic might stress the rationale, hypotheses, and plans for further work.
  • A brief report of a replication or extension of a previously reported study might contrast the results of the two studies, referring to the earlier study for methodological details.
  • A brief report of a monograph or other lengthy nonjournal publication might summarize the key findings and implications or might highlight an unusual observation or methodological approach.
  • A brief report might provide an executive summary of a large study.

The maximum length for Brief Reports is 5,000 words including abstract, references, tables, and figures. If source materials are needed to evaluate a brief report manuscript, a copy should be included.

Correspondence regarding manuscripts for Research Reports or Brief Reports should be sent to

Patricio Herbst, JRME Editor, jrme@nctm.org.

Research Commentaries

The journal publishes brief (5,000 word), peer-reviewed commentaries on issues that reflect on mathematics education research as a field and steward its development. Research Commentaries differ from Research Reports in that their focus is not to present new findings or empirical results, but rather to comment on issues of interest to the broader research community. 

Research Commentaries are intended to engage the community and increase the breadth of topics addressed in JRME. Typically, Research Commentaries

  • address mathematics education research as a field and endeavor to move the field forward;
  • speak to the readers of the journal as an audience of researchers; and
  • speak in ways that have relevance to all mathematics education researchers, even when addressing a particular point or a particular subgroup.

Authors of Research Commentaries should share their perspectives while seeking to invite conversation and dialogue, rather than close off opportunities to learn from others, especially those whose work they might be critiquing. 

Foci of Research Commentaries vary widely. They may include, but are not restricted to the following:

  • Discussion of connections between research and NCTM-produced documents
  • Advances in research methods
  • Discussions of connections among research, policy, and practice
  • Analyses of trends in policies for funding research
  • Examinations of evaluation studies
  • Critical essays on research publications that have implications for the mathematics education research community
  • Interpretations of previously published research in JRME that bring insights from an equity lens
  • Exchanges among scholars holding contrasting views about research-related issues

The maximum length for Research Commentaries is 5,000 words, including abstract, references, tables, and figures.

Correspondence regarding Research Commentary manuscripts should be sent to: 

Daniel Chazan, JRME Research Commentary Editor, dchazan@umd.edu.

Tools for Authors

The forms below provide information to authors and help ensure that NCTM complies with all copyright laws: 

Student Work Release

Photographer Copyright Release

Video Permission

 

Want to Review?

Find more information in this flyer about how to become a reviewer for JRME

The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education is available to individuals as part of an NCTM membership or may be accessible through an institutional subscription.

The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME), an official journal of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), is the premier research journal in math education and devoted to the interests of teachers and researchers at all levels--preschool through college.

JRME is published five times a year—January, March, May, July, and November—and presents a variety of viewpoints. Learn more about JRME.

  • Collapse
  • Expand