The Notions and Roles of Theory in Mathematics Education Research

International audienceNotions and concepts of theory play key roles in mathematics education research , as they do in any scholarly or scientific discipline. On closer inspection , the notion, concept, and nature of what is termed " theory " in such research are very varied indeed, as are the roles, uses and implications of theories employed in mathematics education research. In other words, the term " theory " does not have one universal meaning in our field. Moreover, concrete theories put to use with regard to mathematics education originate in several different disciplines, many of which are external to mathematics education research itself. The task of this ST is to identify, survey, and analyse different notions and roles of " theory " in mathematics education research, as well the origin, nature, uses, and implications of specific theories pertaining to different types of such research