This paper explores the potential of participatory action research to bring about significant changes in practice in a context in which more conventional approaches to research have had limited impact. It focuses on secondary mathematics classrooms where teaching approaches characterised by memorising and practising mathematical procedures, with little understanding of their application, purpose or underlying concepts, remain commonplace in many countries around the world and have proved highly resistant to change. The paper highlights the damage caused by such practices in terms of the alienation of large numbers of students and the inequitable outcomes they are associated with, including the strong correlation that persists between students’ socio-economic status and mathematical attainment. It reports on the case of one participatory action research project, involving the author and five teacher researchers, that demonstrated how a vision of mathematics education, involving a genuinely engaging and empowering curriculum, can be translated into classroom practice. The paper considers the extent to which this research project was conducted in a collaborative, systematic and rigorous way. It reflects on the research processes that facilitated critical reflection, enabled the teacher researchers to overcome constraints and generated trustworthy findings. The insights gained from this analysis are used to argue that a participatory action research methodology, which resonates with a critical mathematics pedagogy, has the potential to challenge prevailing discourses in mathematics education and hence lead to genuine transformations in classroom practice.

本文探讨了在更传统的研究方法影响有限的情况下，参与式行动研究在实践中带来重大变化的潜力。它侧重于中学数学课堂，在该课堂上，以记忆和练习数学程序为特征的教学方法，对它们的应用，目的或基本概念了解甚少，在世界许多国家仍然很普遍，并且已被证明具有极强的抵御变化能力。本文着重说明了这种做法对大量学生的疏远和与之相关的不平等结果所造成的损害，包括学生的社会经济地位与数学素养之间持续存在着很强的相关性。它报道了一个涉及作者和五名教师研究人员的参与式行动研究项目的案例，该项目表明了如何将真正参与和授权课程的数学教育愿景转化为课堂实践。本文考虑了以协作，系统和严格的方式进行此研究项目的程度。它对促进批判性反思的研究过程进行了反思，使教师研究人员能够克服限制并产生值得信赖的发现。从这种分析中获得的见解被用于争论一种参与式行动研究方法论，该方法论与批判性的数学教学法产生了共鸣，