A Single Truth as a Myth: A Tangible Case From Natural Language Processing

• In Event: Examining Problem-Posing, Measurement, Visualization, and Objectivity in Mathematics

Abstract

The field of academic research has been a space for multiple, even conflicting, paradigms of inquiry. Mathematics education research, too, is becoming a fertile field that welcomes various research perspectives and processes. The current paper contributes to the effort to fertilize the field of mathematics education research by questioning the myth of a single truth. To this end, we first present a brief review of the debate surrounding objectivity. Then, we provide a tangible example of the case where multiple truths can coexist. We achieve this by applying Natural Language Processing to text collected from research articles on mathematics classroom communication. We emphasize the benefits of celebrating a multiplicity of truths and of researchers’ subjective intervention to fertilize the field.

Author

• Heejoo Suh, Hongik University
  Presenting Author