Networking praxeologies and theoretical grain sizes in mathematics education

Cultural issues illustrated by three examples from the japanese research context

Abstract

This study aims to identify the theoretical underpinnings of researchers’ work on networking theories in terms of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic. The study is based on the concept of research praxeology, which allows us to characterise researchers’ practice and knowledge of networking. Three research examples, conducted in the Japanese educational context, are used to illustrate a means to characterise the four praxeological elements (type of tasks, technique, technology, and theory). The results imply that the notion of theoretical grain sizes (grand, intermediate, and local levels) can be used to deepen our understanding of researchers’ work on networking theories. Based on our results, different characteristics of networking theories are discussed according to the cultural issues and specificities of the illustrative examples.