| dc.description.abstract | It is enshrined in law and regulation that all higher education should be research-based and research-oriented. How a research-based approach should be reflected in the education is not defined clearly, so there is room for interpretation that gives the institutions a certain freedom.
In this study I examine how a mathematics education courses at the University of Agder is research-corrected and the consequences of that for the students. To see the significance the students believe a research-based course has, I through the study attempt to answer the following research questions:
- What does mathematics education research mean for GLU students who have completed the course MA-149 during 2011 and 2012?
- How do the mathematics teacher students consider it to become involved in a research process?
- Do the students in MA-149 experience their participation in a research process as relevant to their future practice as mathematics teachers?
My study will be part of a larger research project underway at the University of Agder, Inquiry-based mathematics teacher education: preparing for life long learning. As a basis for the study, I will use qualitative data collected in the project in form of questionnaires, essays and interviews. Available data is analyzed in light of Shulman and Ball et al. in their ways of conceptualizing mathematics teacher knowledge and Healey's model for research-based education.
The results of the study show that results from mathematics education research are more or less completely unknown to GLU students at the beginning of MA-149. After completing the course, they have become aware of some research results, and they look at them as important, interesting and exciting. Furthermore, the results of the study shows that the students think of involvement in a research process as challenging and time consuming, but very informative. It varies how students relate participation in a research process to their future profession. Some see the benefit of researching their own practice, while others think it is too much work in terms of dividends and time available. | nb_NO |
