Research

Our research spans across a variety of areas of mathematical cognition and mathematics education. We have a dynamic community of academic researchers whose work delves deeper into the early learning of mathematics and acts as a key aid for teachers and practitioners.

Here at the Centre for Mathematical Cognition, we conduct research to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. Our researchers are involved in the creation of exciting and novel materials for the classroom and work closely with teachers and practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness.

Home to a stimulating research community

Established relationships with teachers and early years practitioners

Here you will find out more about some of the great research taking place in the Centre for Mathematical Cognition.

Research snapshots

Students’ confidence in mathematics

Dr Colin Foster wants to understand how school students can improve the calibration of their confidence in their mathematics.

How much guidance for learning mathematics is optimal?

This project aims to investigate when guidance should be provided and when should not, for primary and secondary students learning mathematics.

Prevalence of cognitive phenomena

This collaborative project looks at whether the effect we observe at a group level (e.g., that it is faster to compare numbers 1 and 5 than 4 and 5) is reflected at the individual level.

Playing along the number line

Dr Francesco Sella, Professor Tim Jay, and Ella James-Brabham are undertaking a research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation to co-develop a number board game with teachers and children.

Uninformative trials and their causes

Hugo Lortie-Forgues and Matthew Inglis recently conducted a review of all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) commissioned by the EEF and the NCEE, a US-based funder that also commissions educational RCTs, with an aim to find out what's going wrong with large-scale educational RCTs.

Related links

Futher information relating to research at the Centre for Mathematical Cognition.

LUMEN (Loughborough University Mathematics Education Network) Mr Barton Maths Podcast