Questions teachers ask, and researchers answer

We explore the extent to which questions that mathematics teachers are interested in align with research questions published in mathematics education journals. We asked teachers to submit research questions online, and we collected research questions from articles published in nine leading mathematics education journals over a three-year period. Then, we coded both sets of questions (301 from 93 teachers, 1202 from journals) and reflected on their similarities and differences, noticing that teachers’ questions tended to focus on practice, including policy, assessment, and curriculum, whereas researchers’ questions tended to focus on a wider range of concerns, particularly mathematical content areas. We also found that teachers tended to focus on ‘big questions’ and effectiveness, whereas researchers’ questions tended to be more narrow and often focused on underlying mechanisms. We conclude that the interests of education stakeholders might be better served by paying greater attention to teachers’ research priorities, and that practical concerns should perhaps take more prominence in the funding and conducting of mathematics education research. This acknowledges the teachers involved as collaborators on the paper.