Can Math Education Research Improve the Teaching of Abstract Algebra
For permission to reprint this article, please contact: reprint permission@ams.org. DOI: http:/dx.doi.org/10.1090/noti1339 Teaching matters. It is arguably the most important factor affecting student learning. Efforts to improve teaching have led to reform initiatives being proposed and tested throughout the college mathematics curriculum. Abstract algebra specifically has been the subject of such reform, including new curricula and pedagogies, since at least the 1960s, yet there is little evidence that these change initiatives have widely influenced the way abstract algebra is taught. We conducted a survey of abstract algebra instructors to investigate typical teaching practices and, more specifically, faculty knowledge, goals, and orientation towards teaching and learning. Results revealed that a majority of respondents appear quite content to lecture. Even among those who indicated a willingness to consider a change of pedagogical strategy, there is very little usage of existing reform materials or interaction with pedagogical research results. There appears to be an impermeable barrier between the pedagogical researchers' findings and recommendations and practitioners who might implement them.