Editorial for Volume 26

Welcome to Volume 26 of Research in Mathematics Education. As a highly regarded international journal in mathematics education, we continue to focus on highlighting some of the best mathematics education research from around the world. The articles in this volume exemplify the rich diversity of research topics, approaches and contexts that are at the core of the aims of the journal. We aim to always have one issue in each volume dedicated as special issue, bringing together a coherent set of articles on an important and relevant mathematics education research topic. Issue 2 of this year’s volume will be the special issue on Mathematical Connections in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. This special issue brings together some interesting research from around the world that considers the intersection of teaching and learning, with a particular focus on mathematical connections.

The Editorial Board continues to be our core reviewing team, and their commitment to the journal and the supportive and rigorous peer review process we take pride in, enables us to maintain the priority of publishing high-quality research whilst also supporting earlier career researchers, those publishing for the first time, and researchers working in contexts where the support of experienced mathematics education researchers and organisations such as the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM) are not as accessible. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all reviewers, including the Editorial Board members, who have volunteered their time to give insightful and supportive critiques of the papers submitted to RME. We are immensely grateful for the time and effort of all those who enable RME to achieve its aims of publishing high-quality original research in any methodological tradition that is relevant to mathematics education researchers across educational systems.

The link to the work of BSRLM is reflected in the current reports that include short summaries of research papers included in the informal proceedings of the day conferences. These research papers can be the starting point for many authors, highlighting and making available for discussion the potential contribution of the research, potentially leading to a more substantial paper suitable for submission to RME. They are also an opportunity for readers to see the innovative and influential research being undertaken that is presented at BSRLM day conferences. As editors, we would like to continue to ask the whole BSRLM and wider mathematics education research community, to promote and consider writing for RME. Our journal aims to do this without prejudice, with an unapologetic focus on high-quality mathematics education research, but also constructively critical book reviews.

One thing we also have set out to do is to include more debate and contributions focused on mathematics education policy and practice. We continue to welcome contributions that encourage debate and discussion on topics of interest to the readers of RME. For example, from a global perspective, the release of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (OECD, 2023) and the forthcoming release of TIMSS 2023 are likely to influence national policies and curricula. An emphasis on mathematics in PISA 2022 means that this is particularly relevant for secondary mathematics education. It can always be quite challenging for us as mathematics education researcher community to weigh in on such discussions, but in general terms, it certainly seems true to us that those who study mathematics education research in detail have a lot to offer in such debates. It is in fact such scholarly input that can contribute to improving mathematics education worldwide, and in all education phases. We sincerely hope that RME can continue to contribute to this.