Indicates the range of purposes and variety of settings in which design experiments have been conducted, delineating five crosscutting features that collectively differentiate design experiments from other methodologies. Clarifies what is involved in preparing for and carrying out a design experiment and in conducting a retrospective analysis of…

A methodology for exploring limits and subtleties of children's construction of mathematical concepts and operations is described. It is believed that the failure to observe children's constructive processes firsthand denies a researcher the experimental base so crucial in formulating explanations of processes. Researchers are encouraged to teach…

Describes a methodology for analyzing the collective learning of the classroom community in terms of the evolution of classroom mathematical practices. In developing the rationale for this approach, grounds the discussion in work of mathematics educators who conduct classroom-based design research. Frames sample analysis as a paradigm case in…

This chapter focuses on a particular type of classroom teaching experiment that is conducted in collaboration with a practicing teacher. The first section discusses the theoretical orientation that underpins this methodology and outlines the types of problems that are addressed in the course of a classroom teaching experiment. The three central…

Sociocultural perspectives of education and educative processes occupy center stage in educational research and mathematics education, and this is a natural reaction to the recent dominance of reductionist psychological theories. This paper wants to make public an ongoing discussion related to the compatibility of the psychological and…