Current Doctoral Studies
Mary Rahiti
Optimal practices for effective school leadership in implementing evidence based mathematics professional learning and development: New Zealand education has many evidence based projects designed to meet needs across the school curriculum. These PLD projects are available to schools to select from as determined by the needs of their learners. At the forefront of the selection and implementation process are school leadership. This project will focus on the optimal practices for effective school leadership in implementing evidence based projcts. The key focus will be on the factors that influence the success of one such PLD projects: Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities.
Robin Staples
Investigation of leadership practice for successful sustained development of new mathematics teaching strategies designed to improve equity.
Louise Fitzgerald
How to teachers adapt and enact mathematics curriculum material to align with their children’s identity and culture. How does this impact on their engagement and attitudes towards mathematics and achievement?
Bridget Wadham
Young students capabilities in functional thinking. Functional thinking is a key strand of early algebra; however, it has traditionally been introduced upon entry to High School. Here, it is often taught through procedural and disconnected methods. As a result, many students struggle and negative feelings towards algebra ensue. This study will be comprised of three parts. First, a systematic review of the literature. Second, examination of student responses to a written functional thinking task. Third, examination of the functional thinking knowledge 5-year-olds enter school with through task-based interviews.
Eva Cornforth
Examining socioeconomic factors and brilliance bias – do low income students face barriers in accessing STEM?
Neil Scott
Targeted Assessment for Learning in Mathematics: A tool for maximising progress for learners needing additional support.
Mepa Vuni
Pāsifika notions of success in mathematics: The central aim of this study is to explore Pāsifika notions of success in mathematics and examine the holistic approach to learning mathematics, considering not only academic achievement but also its impact on the cultural, emotional, and social well-being of Pāsifika students and parents. Pāsifika students carry with them a deep understanding of their cultures and fluency in their native languages. However, there is a noticeable disconnect between their cultural backgrounds and the New Zealand education system. This gap contributes to the widening achievement disparities in mathematics between Pāsifika students and their peers. This study aims to provide valuable insights that will help guide Pāsifika teachers, parents and educators in effectively supporting and teaching mathematics to Pāsifika students. This project explores the holistic factors that shape how Pāsifika students and parents define success in mathematics.
Emily Pearce
Drawing upon funds of knowledge to explore five year old mathematical understanding.
Masters Studies
Kim Madden (2025 – 2026)
Taking a connected approach in teaching mathematics. Teacher actions to support students to connect their learning: This case study will explore the mathematical process/practice ‘connect’. This process is now stated in the curriculum as something teachers need to plan, prepare and teach. This research will define what a connected approach in mathematics means, and what teacher actions will support students to connect their learning. Classroom observations and interviews will be used to investigate what teacher actions support student connection when teaching fractions in a New Zealand Year 4 classroom.
Lauren Frazerhurst (2023 – 2024)
Making it count : teacher actions to support the development of multiplicative reasoning through the use of choral counting conceptual starters: This study explores the development of multiplicative reasoning among Year Five to Eight students in Aotearoa New Zealand through a conceptual starter activity involving choral counting. Additionally, it examines the pedagogical actions used by teachers to support students in engaging in collaborative discourse and advance students’ multiplicative reasoning through the enactment of mathematical practices.
Kelly Sheppard (2023 – 2024)
Developing 11-13 year old students’ conceptual understanding of rational numbers : a case study investigating effective teacher pedagogical actions in a mathematics classroom: This study explores the teacher actions that help students develop a conceptual understanding of rational numbers and examines how students demonstrate their growing understanding.
Emily Pearce (2023 – 2024)
Supporting 5 – 6 year old students to know and use mathematical practices: This case study will explore the specific teacher actions used within ten students first formal mathematics lesson. Specifically the study will explore how the teacher sets up young learners to understand and engage with mathematical practices: explanation, justification, arguementation, representations and generalisations.
Jennifer James (2022 – 2023)
“Mary, we will count it with you” : inclusion of all students in the large group mathematical discussion: This study is an exploration of teacher actions that promote inclusion of marginalised students during the mathematical discussion in an inquiry model called Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities (DMIC).
Melanie Stone (2022)
Ethics of Care in the Mathematics Classroom: Through the lens of relational and critical race frameworks as influenced by feminist theory this study used a qualitative approach to examine the elements of teacher mindset toward ethics of care in mathematics and explored the impact which participation in professional learning and development has on these mindsets.
Trevor Bills (2019 – 2020)
Critical pedagogy, a pedagogy of discomfort: Challenges and tensions for teachers: This case study will explore the internal tensions and external challenges that teachers face when introducing a critical pedagogical approach to the teaching of mathematics and examine what support teachers need to be able to achieve this. Teacher interviews and diaries along with in classroom observations will be used to investigate what teacher actions support student learning through critical mathematics as well as any dissonance this may create when trying to balance curriculum requirements.
Bronwyn Gibbs (2019 – 2020)
Developing functional thinking through culturally located tasks: This design research study aims to explore how mathematical tasks embedded in children’s cultural lives support Maori and Pasifika learners to develop their conceptual understanding of functional relationships. The research looks at the representations students use when engaging with conceptual functional tasks, and how Maori and Pasifika students generalise culturally located tasks involving functions.
Andrew Johnson (2019 – 2020)
Factors affecting students’ mindsets towards mathematics and their ability to learn from mistakes: This case study examines factors such as classroom culture, task, whanau beliefs, and teacher interactions to see what influence these have on student mindsets towards mathematics and their ability to learn from mistakes. A series of open-ended mathematical tasks are to be recorded and student responses to mistakes analysed. Student interviews are also used to inform the study and evaluate the factors that lend themselves to positive or negative mindsets towards mathematics.
Libby Cunningham (2019)
Culturally relevant tasks and Pāsifika students’ participation and engagement in mathematics: This ethnographic case study approach while drawing on Påsifika research frameworks focused on Pāsifika students’ and their families’ funds of knowledge to design culturally relevant mathematical tasks. These tasks were used within the students’ mathematics classroom where the teacher was supported to implement culturally responsive and mathematical practices. It examined how the use of culturally relevant tasks while enacting the reviewed cultural and mathematical practices could foster Påsifika students’ participation and engagement in mathematics.
Megan Kanz (2019)
Teacher judgement of students’ conceptual understanding in mathematics: This design research study looks at how teachers can be supported to make judgements on students developing conceptual understandings in mathematics. The project involves iterations of collaborative planning to build collective understanding, teaching/learning, and assessment using open tasks in two areas of mathematics. Teacher interviews are used to inform the study and evaluate the factors that support or hinder teachers as they make judgements.
Jenna Hatch (2019-2020)
Catering for diverse learning needs in Intermediate level maths: Exploratory case studies of three Intermediate schools will explore the variety of ways schools and teachers provide differentiated opportunities for students to lean mathematics. Bounded cases will include schools that use in-class ‘ability’ grouping, mixed attainment grouping, and/or teach within ILE.
Fiona Rice (2018-19)
Learning to learn in a mathematical community of inquiry: This research asks, “What can co-generative dialogues reveal about students’ experiences within mathematical communities of inquiry?” The research is particularly interested in the identification of benefits or barriers to learning mathematics and the development of student agency as the learning environment shifts towards a more collaborative approach.