What do mathematics lessons look like? Analyses of primary students' drawings.

The use of student drawings to assess their experiences and beliefs about teaching and learning of mathematics has become almost a regular research method - especially when working with young students who may not express themselves well, for example, in self-report questionnaires. These methods, nevertheless, need to be improved regarding their objectivity and validity. By building on the existing research, in this study, we focus on objectivity and validity issues in drawing-based methods.

The knowledge produced through student drawings.

Drawings have been extensively used as a research method to gather data from research participants including school students regarding their perceptions of mathematics and its teaching and learning. What is valued in drawing-based research in mathematics education, and what kind of knowledge is produced through student drawings, however, is not known. This study examines drawing-based research studies to understand these questions by applying a novel framework - the legitimation code theory (LCT).

Gender differences in reading and numeracy achievement across the school years.

Developing students' reading and numeracy skills remain key goals of contemporary schooling. In Australia, the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests have assessed these skills since 2008. Previous research found a significant gender gap in favour of females for the NAPLAN writing test, yet no study has examined whether gender gaps exist for reading and numeracy or their developmental pattern across the school years.