MERGA

2025 Conference Proceedings

2025 Conference Proceedings

2025 Full Conference Proceedings

MERGA47 – Unlocking Minds in Mathematics Education

6 – 10 July 2025 Canberra, Australia

Editors: Sitti Maesuri Patahuddin, Lorraine Gaunt, Danielle Harris, & Kristen Tripet

CLEMENTS-FOYSTER LECTURE

Unlocking Minds: Exploring the Pendulum of Mathematics Pedagogy – Catherine Attard

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Unlocking Minds by Conceptually Focused, Student-Centred Explicit Mathematics Teaching and Quantitative Evidence for Effectiveness – Susanne Prediger

Comparing and Discussing Multiple Strategies to Promote Learning in Mathematics Classrooms – 
Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Jon Star, & Kelley Durkin

BETH SOUTHWELL PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS AWARD

Exploring the Complexity of Students’ Inconsistent Relational Understanding of the Equal Sign – Jiqing Sun

RESEARCH SYMPOSIA

Strategies That Promote Inclusive Mathematics Education – Kate Quane

  • Universal Design for Learning for Mathematics Education – Lorraine Gaunt, Kate Quane, Belinda Trewartha, & Tom Port
  • The Use of Key Word Sign to Support Early Mathematical Experiences – Kate Quane, Belinda Trewartha, Lorraine Gaunt, Elaine Stigwood, & Zoe Twose
  • Let’s Throw Out the Textbooks and Streaming in Mathematics! – Lorraine Gaunt & Matt Winslade

RESEARCH PAPERS

Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Understandings of Reasonable Adjustments: Is it Inclusive Teaching? – Kim Beswick, Rhonda Faragher, Monica Cuskelly, & Jan Lloyd

Teacher Professional Development in Remote Papua New Guinea – Vagi Bino, Charly Muke, & Kay Owens

An Analysis of Place Value Visual Representations in South African, Singaporean, and Australian Workbooks – Tammy Booysen, Lise Westaway, Mellony Graven, Kevin Larkin, Silke Ladel, Dinah-Marie Wiedenhof, Kim Fry, Pam Vale, & Ulrich Kortenkamp

Teachers’ Conceptions of the Term ‘Success’ in Mathematics Classrooms – Rebecca Burtenshaw, Merrilyn Goos, & Margaret Marshman

How Knowledgeable is ChatGPT 4o? Assessing the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of a Generative Artificial Intelligence Tool – Scott Cameron, Carmel Mesiti, & Paul Fijn

Active Learning, Collective Participation: From Theory to Practice, Illustrations From Professional Learning About an Embodied Approach to Learning – Katherin Cartwright & Jennifer Way

Partitive Division: The Numbers Matter to Young Children – Jill Cheeseman, Ann Downton, & Kerryn Driscoll

Accounts of Primary Mathematics Leadership: Working With Teachers in Classrooms – Jill Cheeseman & Kerryn Driscoll

Minding Emotions in Mathematics Education – Raewyn Eden, Joanna Higgins, & Linda Bonne

Argument-Based Mathematical Inquiry: Teacher Strategies for Supporting Young Students’ Collective Argumentation – Jill Fielding, Penelope Baker, & Nadya Rizk

Evaluating Student Engagement With and Perceptions of a Flipped Classroom Design for a Large Statistics Subject – Paul Fijn & Alba Santin Garcia

Examining Gender Differences in the Impact of Instructional Clarity on Year 9 Students’ Mathematics Interest in New Zealand: A Multi-Group Comparison of 2019 TIMSS Data – Huayu Gao, Tanya Evans, & Gavin T. L. Brown

The Role of Compassion and Empathy When Engaging With Tasks Concerned With Social and Environmental Justice – Vincent Geiger, Kim Beswick, Jill Fielding, Gabriele Kaiser, Thorsten Scheiner, & Mirjam Schmid

Using the Mathematics Assessment Interview and Growth Points to Identify Grade 1 Students Who Are Not Yet Thriving in Mathematics Midway Through the School Year – Ann Gervasoni, Penelope Kalogeropoulos, Ayesha Ali Khan, & Michelle Tregoning

From Resistance to Reflection: The Interplay of Support, Reflection, and Practice Change – Hossein Ghaffari

Aestheticising Readers’ Experiences of ‘Reading’ Research: Making Visible Emotional Trajectories in Learning – Mellony Graven & Yasmine Abtahi

One Teacher’s Unique Experience Teaching Online During the Covid-19 Pandemic – Anita Green

Exploring How Mathematics Teacher in Indonesia Perceive Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) in Mathematics – Faradillah Haryani

Examining the Pedagogical Practices of a Teacher in a High Mathematical Wellbeing Classroom: An Exemplary Case Study – Julia Hill

Dynamic Learning Artefacts: A Methodological Approach for Analysing and Interpreting Student Thinking in Mathematics – Jane Hubbard

Giving Underachieving Students a Voice: Exploring Student Perspectives to Improve the GRIN Program – Penelope Kalogeropoulos, James Russo, Anne Roche, & Peter Sullivan

Examining the Impact of Tutorial Activity Engagement on Undergraduate Students’ Collaborative Preferences – Sang Hyun Kim & Tanya Evans

Understanding Changes in Teacher Dispositions Towards Mathematics Teaching Using an Epistemic Network Analysis – Jake Laurie

Exploring the Integration of Data Visualisation Through Self-Quantification: Insights From School Education – Meng Li & Katie Makar

Private Tutoring and Mathematics Education: A Review of the Current Research Landscape and Future Directions – Zehao Li, Bronwyn Reid O’Connor, & Ben Zunica

Perceived Benefits of Collaborative Learning When Solving Cognitively Demanding Tasks – Ciara Loughland

The Development of a STEM Literacy and Numeracy Program for the Foundation to Year 2 Years of Schooling – Tom Lowrie, Ilyse Resnick, & Kevin Larkin

Experiences of Pre-Multiplicative Thinking Junior Secondary School Students – Susan Mabb

Mind the Gap: Investigating Misaligned Mathematics Study Intentions and Perceived Capabilities – Erin Mackenzie, Kathryn Holmes, Nathan Berger, & Matt Thompson

Teachers as Change Agents: The Role of Social Capital – Margaret Marshman & Linda G. Opheim

Wondering, Wandering, and Desiring in Mathematics – Rosalie Miller

“I Felt Sad, Stupid, and Annoyed”: Characterising Primary Pre-Service Teachers’ School Mathematics Experiences Through Achievement Emotions – Tracey Muir, Sharyn Livy, Julia Hill, Karen McDaid, Chrissy Monteleone, Matt Sexton, Kerrie Petersen, & Wade Naylor

Promoting Spatial–Mathematical Connectivity (SMC) Through a 20-Week Spatial Reasoning Design Study in Grade 4 – Joanne Mulligan, Gabrielle Oslington, & Geoff Woolcott

Introducing Dialogic Pedagogy in Early Years Mathematics: Contrasting Authoritative and Persuasive Discourses – Carol Murphy, Tracey Muir, & Damon Thomas

Analysis of Common Errors in Simplifying Algebraic Problems among Grade 10 Learners – Babawande Emmanuel Olawale, Saidat Adeniji, & Zizipho Mabhoza

Why Ontologies Are Important in Mathematics Education – Kay Owens

Context-Based Line Graph Comprehension: Do Teacher Education and Experience Make a Difference? – Sitti Maesuri Patahuddin, Andi Mulawakkan, & Ajay Ramful

Supporting 5 Year Olds to Represent Their Mathematical Reasoning – Emily Pearce, Generosa Leach, & Jodie Hunter

Benefits of Cognitive Offloading Tools in Mathematics Education – Sarah Podwinski & Iroise Dumontheil

Becoming a Mathematics Teacher: Tracing Teacher Identity Development Throughout an Initial Teacher Education Degree – Bronwyn Reid O’Connor, Ben Zunica, & Yasser Zepeda

Scripted Solutions for Mathematics? Rethinking Outsourced Curriculum Planning and Teacher Workload Challenges – Emily Ross

“Anyone Can Teach Maths”: Workplace Perspectives on Out-of-Field Teaching of Mathematics – Emily Ross, Merrilyn Goos, Greg Oates, Linda Hobbs, Christopher Speldewinde, Connie Cirkony, Seamus Delaney, Janet Dutton, & Susan Caldis

Affordances of a Novel Mathematical Manipulative: Teacher Perspectives on the Keyboard – James Russo, Sarah Hopkins, Jane Hubbard, & Anne Roche

Conceptualising Primary School Mathematics Leadership as Poly-Motivated Activity – Matt Sexton

A Study of Grade 10 Students’ Conceptions of Proof in a Singapore Secondary School – Navinesh Thanabalasingam, Berinderjeet Kaur, & Weng Kin Ho

An Exploration into Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Instruction of Mathematical Proof in Singapore: Understanding Their Conceptions, Beliefs, and Challenges Related to Teaching Proofs – Navinesh Thanabalasingam, Weng Kin Ho, & Berinderjeet Kaur

Top Number or Numerator? Teachers’ Choices of the Mathematics Register in Mathematics Teaching Talk – Pauline Tiong

How to Teach the Meaning of Limit Intuitively in Calculus: A Didactical Design Research – Wilda Syam Tonra, Kusnandi, Dahlan Wahyudi, & Winda Syam Tonra

Primary Teachers’ Adaptive Expertise for Teaching Interdisciplinary Mathematics and Science: Findings from a Video Questionnaire – Colleen Vale, Jan van Driel, Gahyoung Kim, Joe Ferguson, Wanty Waidjaja, Lihua, Xu, Lam Pham, & Amanda Berry

Gesturing Partition and Fraction Understanding: A Case of Primary Students Solving Partition Tasks – Kamirsyah Wahyu

Enhancing Mathematical Wellbeing With Pedagogy – Kim Walker

Pema’s Reflective Practices: Narrowing the Gap Between Espoused and Enacted Beliefs – Tandin Wangdi

Promoting Financial Numeracy Through Mathematics Education – Dinah-Marie Wiedenhöfer

Planning for Mathematical Problem-Posing: Exploring Practice Through the Lens of Practice Architectures  – Kristin Zorn

ROUND TABLES

Key Features of the Mathematics Growth Team Program: Insights From an Academic Partnership – Kim Beswick, Eddie Woo, Elizabeth Ferme, Laura Tuohilampi, & Corinne Robinson

Conventional Practices of Mathematics Vs. Deliberate Practice – David Chinofunga & Vesife Hatisaru

How Do People Learn Mathematics? – Peter Grootenboer

What Matters When: Establishing a Value Proposition for Mathematics – Sam Hardwicke & Emily Ross

Teacher Content Knowledge for Teaching (Algebra) – Vesife Hatisaru

Mathematical Cognition and Learning – Ilyse Resnick, Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Tanya Evans, & Jennifer Way

Assessment to Support Learning in Mathematics – Corrine Robinson, Kim Beswick, & Dennis Alonzo

Future Directions: Feedback and Reflection Cycles With Pre-Service Teachers to Enhance the Planning of Rich Mathematics Learning Experiences – Shaileigh Rowtcliff , Timna Garnett, & Rosalie Miller

Mathematics Leadership During Educational Reform: Navigating Pedagogical Tensions With MERGA Support – Matt Sexton, Kerryn Driscoll, Kate Copping, & Ann Downton

Students as Subjects of Their Mathematical Activity: Revisiting Biesta – Jana Višňovská & José Luis Cortina

Experiences With Publishing in High Quality Journals – Jana Višňovská, Vince Geiger, & Kristen Tripet

Expanding MERGA’s Position Statement on Effective Mathematics Teaching Special Working Group: Effective Pedagog(ies) in Mathematics – Nadia Walker, Elise Van Der Jagt, & Jill Fielding

Embedding the Computational Thinking Process in Mathematics – Rachael Whitney-Smith

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

Transfer From Spatial Training to Mathematics Achievement: A Qualitative Approach to Exploring Mechanism – Jonathan Adams

Justifying Fraction Ordering: Language in Student Reasoning – Aehee Ahn, Jodie Hunter, & Generosa Leach

Primary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy in STEM Education – Lucy Bennett

Spatial Visualisation Difficulties in Area of Composite Figures With Quarter-Circles – Elaine Yu Ling Cai & Joseph Tan

Assessment for Learning in Mathematics: Expert Teacher Reflexivity – Catherine Challen & Julie Arnold

An Investigation of Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Implementation of Challenging Tasks – Michelle Cheung, Bronwyn Reid O’Connor, & Ben Zunica

Illustrations of Mathematics Instructional Coaches’ Routine and Adaptive Expertise for In-Service Teacher Professional Development  – Sze Looi Chin & Generosa Leach

Identifying Bishop’s Mathematical Activities in the AERO Mathematical Thinking Early Childhood Learning Trajectory – Audrey Cooke

Students’ Algebraic Thinking as Reading of Expressions to Comprehend the Reality of the Phenomenon – Satoshi Enomoto & Sachi Tohei

Teaching Numeracy With Intention – Elizabeth Ferme & Greg Oates

I’ve Got the Map – Let Me Tell You Where to Go – Bruce Ferrington

Exploring Primary Teacher Education Students’ Self-Perception of Readiness to Teach Mathematics Kylie-Ann Fitzgerald, Thuan Thai, & Gregory Hine

Harnessing Opportunities to Explore Early Statistical Literacy in Initial Teacher Education: Teaching Statistics Using Zoo Animals and Loose Parts Media With Pre-Service Teachers – Timna Garnett & Shaileigh Rowtcliff

Development of an Operational and Reliable Tool to Measure Student Mathematical Resilience – Vanessa Gorman, Amie Albrecht, Lisa O’Keeffe, & Florence Gabriel

Spatial Enrichment: An Enduring Model to Build Mathematics Achievement – Danielle Harris, Ilyse Resnick, Tracy Logan, Sitti Patahuddin, Nicola Kovacs, Fadia Younes, & Tom Lowrie

Analogies to the Concept of Function and Their Affordances – Vesife Hatisaru & Steven Richardson

The Re-Silencing of Girls in School Mathematics: Gendered Intimidation and Its Impact on Participation – Janelle Hill

Gender Equity in Mathematics Education in Australia: Renewing the Dialogue – Janelle Hill & Hazel Tan

The Development of a Scale to Measure Motivations in Mathematics Enrolment – Gregory Hine, Thuan Thai, Chris Forlin, Robbie Knox, & David Pitt

Gender Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Metaphors: Examining Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Mathematics – Nicola Kovacs, Jonathan Adams, & Tracy Logan

Improving Students’ Learning Experience in Mathematics Through Engagement With steaM – Yu Li, Janette Bobis & Heather McMaster

Taught by Experts: Relying on the Discipline to Counter a New Wave of Problematic Evidence – Tom Lowrie & Danielle Harris

Data-Based Differentiation: How Data Informed Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices – Sadaf Mirza

The Role of Repeating, Growing, and Spatial Patterns in Early Mathematics Learning – Joanne Mulligan

Investigating the Experiences of Early Years Teachers in Teaching Mental Mathematics – Stella Mutlane, Lise Westaway, & Mellony Graven

Leveraging Near-Peer Teaching: Supporting Secondary Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers’ Pedagogical Development – Bronte O’Brien, Elise van der Jagt, Helen Georgiou, & Michelle J. Eady

Promoting a Mathematical Modelling Culture in a Queensland School – Kristy Osborne, Peter Galbraith, & Anton Davis

Generative AI Usage Among Mathematics Teachers: A Demographic Analysis – Sitti Maesuri Patahuddin, Syahrul Ramadhan, Siti Rokmah, & Agustin Ernawati

Bringing Together Mathematical Education and Cognitive Science Research to Examine How Secondary Students Interpret Modern, Big-Data Visualisations – Ilyse Resnick & Stephanie A. Casey

Understanding How Pre-Service Teachers Respond to Students’ Mathematical Errors and Why – Thalia Sacco

Supporting Primary Students’ Mathematical Learning in English: The Role of Parents with a Second Language – Maree A. Skillen

From Silos to Synergy: Exploring Inquiry in Mathematics, Science, and Geography to Unlock Interdisciplinary STEAM – Haze Tan & Gillian Kidman

Issues in Solving Tasks Involving the Area of Composite Figures – Joseph Tan & Elaine Yu Ling Cai

Mathematics Learning for Adults With Down Syndrome: A Matter of Independence – Matt Thompson, Catherine Attard, & Kathryn Holmes

Young Children’s Identification of Functional Relationships in Repeating Patterns – Bridget Wadham & Jodie Hunter

A Model of Professional Learning for Teachers of Mathematics in Remote and Rural Schools – Bruce White & Sharon Kennare

The Influence of Ability Grouping on Primary School Mathematics Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices and the Evidence of Nurturing Environments – Cristi Wilsmore, Catherine Attard, & Kathryn Holmes

Short Communications & Round Tables

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a short communication or round table to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template – to be used to write the abstracts which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website
  • MERGA Publication Agreement – to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the abstract submission

Submissions not exceeding one page are required for short communications and round tables. The submissions must be prepared using the conference template, and can include essential references. They will be reviewed by the Editorial Team and, if accepted, will be published in the conference proceedings as one-page abstracts (not as papers). Presenters are invited to prepare a paper for distribution at the conference, but these papers will not be included in the proceedings.

Short communications are suitable for reports on research in mathematics education that do not fully meet the requirements for published papers. These might include works in preliminary stages, reports of pilot projects, initial reviews of literature, ideas or suggestions for future study, and briefer discussions of particular issues. Short communications allow new researchers to obtain feedback on projects in a constructive and supportive environment, and foster the building of links between researchers with similar interests.

Short communications are presented by author(s) only, allocated half of the time for research reports (in past, this was 20 minutes). At least 5 minutes is to be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.

Round tables are suitable for presenters seeking involved interaction with the audience in relation to their research or topic of interest in mathematics education, and for those sharing their insights and advice with the early career colleagues. These might include discussion of an emerging topic, co-analysis of provided student work, solving a mathematical task, or discussing the demands and benefits of reviewing for high quality journals. Round tables allow finding peers with similar research interests, exploration of new research avenues, and building the capacity of MERGA community.

Round tables are led by author(s) only, allocated the same time as research reports (in past, this was 40 minutes). The abstracts should make clear the interactive element of the proposed activity, with no more than 15 min of the session time in a presentation mode.

Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award (BSPIA) recognises high-quality mathematics education that produces insights for the teaching profession and/or student learning.

The award consists of $500 and a plaque to be presented at the Conference.

Nomination process 

There are two ways a paper can be nominated for the BSPIA:

  • Self-nomination: When you submit your conference paper, check the box that asks if you would like to apply for the BSPIA.
  • Nomination via peer-review: Anyone who submits a Conference paper for peer-review will be considered for nomination by the reviewers. 

Single and co-authored papers are eligible for consideration.

When you write your paper, please ensure that you observe all general paper submission requirements including the maximum page length.

Judging process

Submissions must be deemed eligible for publication in the Conference proceedings by the initial reviewing panel. Submissions accepted for presentation only will be excluded from consideration.

The judging panel will consist of two MERGA members and two AAMT nominees and will be chaired by the VP Development.

The judging criteria are:

  • Identification of a persistent and significant research problem
  • Synthesis of recent research literature and relevant policy initiatives
  • Robust methodology producing valid, reliable findings
  • Insightful discussion of practical implications for the teaching profession and/or student learning
  • Clear, succinct style of academic writing

Winners are notified four weeks prior to the Conference and are invited to present a keynote at the annual conference.

The Beth Southwell Practical Implications Award page on this website provides further information, including the history of the award and recent winners.  

Research Papers

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a research paper to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template – to be used to write the papers which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website
  • MERGA Publication Agreement – to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the paper submission

Research papers can take two major forms: 

1. Reports of empirical investigations 

When empirical investigations are reported (such as in an experimental intervention, confirmatory study, or action research, etc.), the paper should also include

  • a statement of rationale for methodologies used in collecting and analysing data;
  • a critical discussion of data findings in the light of the research literature; and
  • in the literature review, prior work in the area should be acknowledged and an explanation of how the work reported in the paper builds on that earlier work should be included.

2. Reports that are not based on empirical research including:

  • a theoretical discussion;
  • a position paper;
  • a report of scholarly enquiry in progress;
  • a literature review, a meta-study;
  • an account of a new initiative;
  • a reflective critique of practice; or
  • any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms.

When the work is a theoretical discussion, a position paper, a report of scholarly inquiry in progress, a review of literature, a theoretical study, a meta-study, an account of a new initiative, a reflective critique of practice or any mixture of these or other recognised scholarly forms, the material presented must be discussed critically, and alternative points of view relating to themes presented should be appropriately argued.
It is expected that presenting authors will have 40 minutes to present their work at the conference. At least 10 minutes must be allowed to field questions and comments from the audience.

Structure of research papers – All papers for publication in the conference proceedings should contain the following:

  • a statement of the problem/issue and a discussion of its significance;
  • a critical analysis of the research literature as it relates to the topic of the paper; and
  • conclusions and implications for mathematics education derived from the study.

All papers must respect MERGA’s ethical guidelines relating to research work. Papers should not be more than the set length. In addition, papers must be: readable; free of grammatical, spelling and typographical errors; and adhere strictly to style requirements advertised by the conference proceedings Editorial Team.

Originality – Only research papers that are substantially different from work that has been published previously will be considered for publication in the conference proceedings and/or presentation at the conference.

Reviewing of research papers – Research papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of peers approved by the conference committee. The main purpose of the refereeing process is to contribute to the growth and development of quality practice in mathematics education research. Thus reviewers are asked to assist authors by providing helpful feedback and to comment on the suitability of papers for presentation at the conference. Accordingly, it will not be assumed that published papers presented at the conference will be as polished as articles in scholarly journals. Referees will be asked to assess papers being reviewed against the accepted norms for scholarly works presented at MERGA conferences, as set out above.

Each conference proceedings’ Editorial Team will exercise discretion over the reviewing process. Reviewers’ comments will be returned to the authors. Authors whose papers are not accepted for publication may be invited by the editorial panel to present their paper at the conference as a Short Communication, with a 1-page abstract (which they will be invited to provide) being published in the proceedings. Papers may be rejected outright, with no opportunity for presentation at the conference in an alternative form.

Research Symposia

The following documents are essential to read and complete when considering submitting a research symposium to the MERGA conference (available in the Submission section of this website).

  • MERGA Paper Template (to be used to write the papers which are then submitted to the MERGA conference website)
  • MERGA Publication Agreement (to be submitted on the MERGA conference website at the time of the paper submission)

Presentation of groups of published papers related by theme in the form of a research symposium is encouraged. The symposium forum will be particularly suitable for presentations relating to a single large project or presentations that explore topical themes from different and/or related perspectives. Special Interest Groups [SIGs] are encouraged to consider the symposium option as a means for sharing and discussing current research.

A symposium should consist of no more than four presentations of about 15 minutes duration each. The written papers should be half the length of research papers as described for research papers. Both research report types – empirical or non-empirical – are acceptable as published symposium papers.

A brief overview of the symposium (limit one page), including a symposium title, an introduction to the theme/project, and a short introduction to each of the 3-4 contributions, must be submitted with the set of short papers. Please list the symposium convenors as the authors on the first page, and name the paper authors in the text description.

The symposium proposer will also nominate a person to chair the symposium, and a discussant can also be named if desired. This information should accompany the collection of papers submitted for review.

The set of symposium papers (and the overview) will be blind reviewed by a review panel. The main purpose of the reviews is the same as for published papers, and the same criteria are used. The reviewers will be asked to consider the cohesiveness of the set of symposium papers. They will indicate whether the symposium as a whole, and each paper within it, should be “accepted”, “rejected” or if it “requires revision”. If it is deemed that one, some or all of the papers are in need of revision, the reviewers will outline which papers need to be revised and provide suggestions for the required changes. When the revisions are made, the symposium papers will be re-submitted and the set of papers will be sent to the same review panel for further consideration. As with research papers, the final decision about which symposium papers will be published is at the discretion of the Editorial Team.

The date for submission of the collection of symposium papers is the same as for Early Bird papers. This date has been set for the benefit of the group of authors of symposia papers. Should the symposium papers require revision, the authors will have the time to make the corrections and resubmit the set of symposium papers to be re-reviewed by the original reviewers.

Presentation of symposia: Symposia are presented by author(s) only, usually within a 90 min block. At least 10 minutes must be allocated for audience questions and open discussion.

Early Career Research Award

In order to encourage new researchers in mathematics education, MERGA sponsors an award to an author in the early part of her/his career. The award, for excellence in writing and presenting a piece of mathematics education research, consists of a plaque and a prize of $500 and is presented at the annual conference. 

Applying for the award

Entry for the Early Career Research Award is by submission of a written paper for presentation at the conference through the Early Bird process. Conditions of eligibility, information about the judging process, and the criteria judges will observe are indicated below. If you are applying for the Early Career Research Award, please ensure that when you upload your paper on the conference website, you also send an email to the Conference Secretariat indicating that you are an entrant for the Early Career Research Award. Note that at some MERGA conferences there is also a form to complete or a box to tick on the registration form, so check the conference website carefully. Please note that co-authored papers ARE NOT eligible for entry into the Early Career Research Award, nor are Round Table or Symposium papers.

Rules and eligibility for the Early Career Award

The Early Career Research Award page on this website provides further information about this award, including a list of recent winners.

Early Bird Review Process

The Early Bird review process is a form of mentoring, principally for new researchers. However, anyone is eligible to make use of it. Research papers submitted through the Early Bird process must be received by the Early Bird due date (i.e., the closing date in January). They must meet the requirements as set out for MERGA Research Papers. Early Bird papers should be uploaded following a link on the conference website. Authors will be asked to create a login into Oxford Abstracts (our conference management system) and submit the blinded file (anonymised) in the correct template for review.

Early Bird papers undergo a double-blind MERGA reviewing process. There are three possible outcomes of the review, and actions the authors need to follow.

  1. When the paper is accepted (for presentation at the conference and publication in the proceedings), the authors will be asked to provide their full unblinded manuscript and publication agreement.
  2. When small revisions are required, the revised papers will need to be resubmitted by the main submission deadline in March. The changes are considered by the editors, and the papers are not usually sent out for review again. The editors decide whether the paper is accepted for publication as well as presentation at the conference.
  3. When more major revisions are required, the reviewers will provide the author/s with feedback on how to how to strengthen the paper. The paper will need to be resubmitted by the main submission deadline in March, and it will be sent out for a new double-blind review.

Authors are notified of the outcome as soon as possible (usually within a few weeks, and in time for resubmission). Letters are sent to authors to indicate (a) accepted for publication, (b) small revisions required, (c) or major rewriting required.