2020 Volume 13 Pages 79-97
To explain the overall research trend in mathematics education in Korea over the last 20 years, this paper presents an analysis of 3044 peer-reviewed papers published in seven domestic professional mathematics education journals. The papers were analyzed in terms of publication year, topic, research method, and target research population. In addition, papers on research conducted in the international context were analyzed. The results of this analysis showed rapid quantitative growth since the late 2000s and a diversity of research topics including learners’ abilities or characteristics, instruction or teaching methods, and curricula or textbooks. The most popular research methods included pedagogical analyses, case studies, and surveys. In terms of the target research population, students were more popular subjects than curricular materials and teachers in both elementary and secondary schools. A majority of the papers on research conducted in the international context were comparative studies dealing with foreign curricula or textbooks. The paper concludes with several implications regarding issues that need to be further considered to promote mathematics education research.
