Exploring instructors' perspectives and considerations about the literature related to the teaching and learning of mathematics

Mathematics Education researchers aim to collectively explore a multitude of phenomena related to the teaching and learning of mathematics and disseminate the products of their research to those who might be positioned to leverage its insights to improve students’ learning. The research reported in this paper addresses the need to understand how and for what purpose college mathematics faculty and instructors apply insights from this literature. I applied a survey and clinical interview design to explore the perspectives and considerations of instructors regarding the utility of this literature along with perceived facilitations or hindrances to accessing and applying its insights. Informed by the elements of schemes of usage from the Documentational Approach to Didactics, my thematic analysis of the data revealed several convergent themes related to mathematics instructors’ perceptions and application of the mathematics education literature. I present these themes and discuss their implications for improving the content and dissemination practices of scholarly products to address the barriers practitioners experience in accessing, applying, and learning from the insights reported in the literature related to the teaching and learning of mathematics.