Editorial
The Southeast Asian Mathematics Education Journal (SEAMEJ) is an academic journal devoted to publish a variety of research studies and theoretical papers in the field of mathematics education. SEAMEJ seeks to stimulate discussion at all levels of the mathematics education community. It aims to publish an edition twice a year, in June and December.
SEAMEJ is supported by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Regional Centre for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Personnel(QITEP) in Mathematics, better known as SEAQiM. Launched on 13 July 2009 there are now three SEAMEO QITEPs in Indonesia, one center is in Mathematics (Yogyakarta-Indonesia) and the two others are in Science (Bandung-Indonesia) and Language (Jakarta-Indonesia).
In this issue all papers were selected from those submitted to the 4th International Symposium on Mathematics Education and Innovation (ISMEI) held from 1 to 3 November 2016. The theme of the symposium was ‘Issues and Challenges in 21st Century Mathematics Education: Working Towards Meaningful Teaching and Learning’. Unlike the ISMEI papers in the previous edition (Vol. 7 No. 1), the papers in this edition have not been subjected to the blind review process of the External Advisory Panel instead that have undergone an editorial committee review process.
We could call the papers in this edition classroom papers with a research disposition. We make use of the work of Lingard and Renshaw (2010) who argue that teaching should be both a research-informed and a research-informing profession. Thus, teachers should have a‘researchly disposition’and educational researchers should have a ‘pedagogical disposition’. This approach involves multiple forms of dissemination. The products of this dissemination, which are blended with applied and theoretical positions, acknowledge teachers and academic researchers as equal partners in the production of knowledge. This journal provides a means for disseminating teaching papers.
Teaching is generally regarded as a complex and demanding profession that requires a mixture of subject knowledge together with theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and understanding. Teacher learning is a mix of personal reflections, classroom experiences, professional readings, and other sources. As ISMEI 2016 was a conference that attracted a large number of teachers, these papers are written with a pedagogical disposition and have titles such as: Performances and Skills of Cotabato City’s Mathematics Pre-service Teachers in Problem Solving; Developing Learning Materials in Addition and Subtraction of Fractions with Realistic Mathematics Approach for Students Grade 4; Inconsistency Among Beliefs, Knowledge, and Teaching Practice in Mathematical Problem Solving: A Case Study of a Primary Teacher; A Learning Trajectory of Indonesian 12-years Old Students Understanding of Division of Fractions; The Ethnomathematics of Calculating Auspicious Days in Javanese Society as Mathematics Learning; The Effect of Inquiry Learning and Discovery Learning on Student Learning Achievement Viewed from Spatial Intelligence; GeoGebra as a Means for Understanding Limit Concepts; Improving Teachers ICT Application Competencies: A Case Study at Vocational High School in East Kalimantan Province; The Effectiveness of Interactive Module Based on Lectora™ to Improve Secondary School Students’ Spatial Ability; and The Effectiveness of Web-based Learning Media of Polyhedral for Students Grade 8.
The papers in this edition tend to be small-scale studies. Anderson, Bobis, and Way (2008) observed that
smaller-scale studies tended to rely on self-report data and that few incorporated significant amounts of observation data to help validate the self-reported findings … due to the labourintensive and high cost involved when studies incorporate classroom observation (p. 327).
As most of the papers involve the teacher-as-researcher it was felt that readers should be reminded of possible Hawthorne effects. The Hawthorne effect is a type of reaction by the participants who modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed. The original research was done at the Hawthorne Works in Illinois hence the name, while later interpretations suggested that the novelty of being research subjects and the increased attention and enthusiasm of the teacher could lead to temporary increases in performance. When the novelty and the enthusiasm wane then so does the increase in performance.
SEAMEJ seeks articles highlighting empirical as well as theoretical research studies, particularly those that have a perspective wider than local or national interests. This journal was first distributed in 2011 and we have continued to refine our processes although we have not yet reached perfection and we apologize for any errors made. We always welcome feedback and suggestions for improvement, but most of all, we welcome paper contributions. The papers in this journal will be peer reviewed and any supports from the External Advisory Panel is greatly appreciated.
Dr. Wahyudi and Prof. Allan Leslie White
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