Staff profile

Adrian Simpson is Principal of St. Mary's College. He is also Professor in the School of Education.

Research Interests
Adrian’s research interests revolve around aspects related with the school-university transition in mathematics, particularly in how students come to understand the nature of formal argumentation in university mathematics and different ways in which students understand abstract mathematical structures. He has also published papers in cognitive psychology about abstract and contextual reasoning as well as patterns of assesment in higher education (and in university mathematics in particular).

Recently he has been working on notions of 'evidence' in educational research and policy-making, taking a critical stance towards the widespread mis-use of so-called 'scientific' and quantitative methods in the field.

Impact

Information for prospective doctoral research student supervisions

Adrian is interested in supervising doctoral research studies in any area of mathematics education or in educational policy making. He has previously supervised students on postgraduate studies in mathematical reasoning, cognition, proof and argumentation, the school-university transition, students' understanding of key advanced mathematical concepts (such as analysis, algebra, trigonometry and logic). In addition he is interested in supervising doctoral studies in assessment in higher education or the use of evidence in evaluating educational interventions or policy making..

• Mathematics Education
• Assessment in Higher Education
• Psychology of Reasoning
• Evidence in educational research

• Higher and Further Education

• MU-Map - Mapping University Mathematics
• Pedagogical Application of New Developments and Approaches

• 2016: PANDA Pedagogical Application of New Developments and Approaches(£23625.00 from Hermitage Academy)
• 2016: Panda Pedagogical Application Of New Developments And Approaches(£17000.00 from )
• 2013: Artist in Residence - Mr Richard W Hardwick(£14970.00 from The Leverhulme Trust)
• 2011: MU-MAP: Mapping University Mathematics Assessment Practices(£2310.00 from National HE Stem Programme)

• 2014: Editor: Research in Mathematics Education
• 2013: Editorial Board Member: Editoral Board member, Research in Mathematics Education
• 2013: External Docen Supervisor: External Docen Supervisor, Charles University, Prague 2011-12; External Doctoral Supervisor, University of Grenada 2013
• 2013: External Examiner 2007-2013: Undergraduate mathematics education, Leeds University, 2007-11 MSc (Mathematics Education), Leeds University, 2009-12 MSc (Science Education), Leeds University, 2010-12 PhD (Mathematics Education), Loughborough University, 2013
• 2013: Keynote speeches: Keynote speaker at:

  Delta 2013 conference, Kiama, Australia

  RUME 2010 conference, Raleigh, NC, USA

• 0000: Reviewer: Reviewing: Journal for Research in Mathematics Education; Educational Studies in Mathematics; Research in Mathematics Education; European Journal of Psychology of Education; International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education; Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education; Journal of Mathematics Behavior; Mathematical Thinking and Learning;

Authored book

• Alcock, L.J. & Simpson, A. (2009). Ideas from Mathematics Education: An Introduction for Mathematicians. Birmingham: Higher Education Academy.

Chapter in book

• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2019). Mathematics and Statistics. In A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice. Marshall, S. Abingdon: Abingdon: Routledge.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2019). The Relation between Mathematics Students’ Discipline-Based Epistemological Beliefs and their Summative Assessment Preferences. In International Journal of Research in Undergraduate. Springer. 1-16.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2015). Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Statistics. In A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. & Marshall, S. Abingdon: Routledge.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2012). Performance assessment in mathematics: Preliminary empirical research. In Mapping university mathematics assessment practices. Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. Norwich: HEA.
• Ianone, P. & Simpson, A. (2012). A survey of current assessment practices. In Mapping university mathematics assessment practices. Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. Norwich: HEA.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (2006). The transition to independent graduate studies in mathematics. In Research in Collegiate Mathematics Education VI. Selden, Annie, Hitt, Fernando, Harel, Guershon & Hauk, Shandy Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences. 6: 233-246.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (2002). Understanding their Thinking: the tension between the Cognitive and the Affective. In Perspectives on adults learning mathematics. Coben, D., John, O. & Fitzsimons, G Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 83-99.
• Alcock, L. & Simpson, A. (2002). The Warwick analysis project: practice and theory. In The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics at the University Level. Holton, D. Springer: Dordrecht. 99-111.
• Houston, K., Rogers, P. & Simpson, A. (1999). Teaching mathematics as a way of life. In Improving Student Learning through the Disciplines. Rust, C. Oxford: OCSLD.

Edited book

• Simpson, A (2020). The Evidential Basis of “Evidence-Based Education”. Routledge.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2012). Mapping University Mathematics Assessment Practices. Norwich: HEA.
• Simpson, A. (2006). Retirement as process and concept a festschrift for Eddie Gray and David Tall presented at Charles university, Prague 15-16 July, 2006. Prague, Czech Republic: Karlova University.

Journal Article

• Simpson, A (2023). Benchmarking a misnomer: A note on “Interpreting effect sizes in education interventions”. Educational Researcher 52(3): 180-182.
• Simpson, Adrian & Wang, Y. (2023). Making sense of ‘mastery’ Understandings of a policy term among a sample of teachers in England. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education 21(2): 581–600.
• Simpson, Adrian (2022). A recipe for disappointment: policy, effect size and the winner’s curse. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness
• Iannone, Paola & Simpson, Adrian (2022). How we assess mathematics degrees: the summative assessment diet a decade on. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 41(1): 22-31.
• Simpson, A. (2020). On the misinterpretation of effect size. Educational Studies in Mathematics 103(1): 125-133.
• Simpson, A. & Vondrová, N. (2019). Developing Pre-service Teachers’ Professional Vision with Video Interventions: A Divergent Replication. Journal of Education for Teaching 45(5): 567-584.
• Simpson, A. (2019). The evidential basis of ‘Evidence Based Education’ An introduction to the special issue. Educational Research and Evaluation 25(1-2): 1-6.
• Simpson, A. (2019). Whose Prior is it Anyway? A Note on 'Rigorous Large-Scale Educational RCTs are Often Uninformative'. Educational Researcher 48(6): 382-384.
• Simpson, A. (2019). Separating arguments from conclusions: The mistaken role of effect size in educational policy research. Educational Research and Evaluation 25(1-2): 99-109.
• Simpson,A. (2019). The relation between mathematics students' discipline-based epistemological beliefs and their summative assessment preferences. International Journal of Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education 5(2): 147-162.
• Simpson, A. (2018). Unmasking the unasked: correcting the record about assessor masking as an explanation for effect size differences. Educational Research and Evaluation 24(1-2): 3-12.
• Simpson, A. (2018). Princesses are bigger than Elephants: effect size as a category error in evidence based education. British Educational Research Journal 44(5): 897-913.
• Simpson, A., Vondrová, N. & Žalská, J. (2018). Sources of Shifts in Pre-Service Teachers' Patterns of Attention: The Roles of Teaching Experience and of Observational Experience. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education 21(6): 607-630.
• Simpson, A. (2018). The Structure of Surveys and the Peril of Panels. Studies in Higher Education 43(8): 1334-1347.
• Simpson, A. (2017). The misdirection of public policy: comparing and combining standardised effect sizes. Journal of Education Policy 32(4): 450-466.
• Alcock, L. & Simpson, A. (2017). Interactions between defining, explaining and classifying: The case of increasing and decreasing sequences. Educational Studies in Mathematics 94(1): 5-19.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2017). University students’ perceptions of summative assessment: the role of context. Journal of Further and Higher Education 41(6): 785-801.
• Simpson, A. (2017). The Surprising Persistence of Biglan's Classification Scheme. Studies in Higher Education 42(8): 1520-1531.
• Fernández-Plaza, J.A. & Simpson, A. (2016). Three concepts or one? Students' understanding of basic limit concepts. Educational Studies in Mathematics 93(3): 315-332.
• Simpson, Adrian (2016). Assessment and its outcomes: the influence of disciplines and institutions. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 41(6): 917-937.
• Simpson, A. (2015). The Anatomy of a Mathematical Proof: Implications for Analyses with Toulmin's Scheme. Educational Studies in Mathematics 90(1): 1-17.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. P. (2015). Mathematics lecturers’ views of examinations: tensions and possible resolutions. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 34(2): 71-82.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2015). Students’ views of oral performance assessment in mathematics: straddling the ‘assessment of’ and ‘assessment for’ learning divide. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 40(7): 971-987.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2015). Students' preferences in undergraduate mathematics assessment. Studies in Higher Education 40(6): 1046-1067.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2013). Students' perceptions of assessment in undergraduate mathematics. Research in Mathematics Education 15(1): 17-33.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2012). Oral assessment in mathematics: implementation and outcomes. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 31(4): 179-190.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2012). How do we assess our students? A survey of current assessment practices in UK universities? MSOR Connections 12(1): 7-10.
• Alcock, L. & Simpson, A. (2011). Classification and concept consistency. Canadian Journal for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education 11(2): 91-106.
• Iannone, P., Inglis, M., Mejia-Ramos, J.P., Simpson, A. & Weber, K. (2011). Does generating examples aid proof production? Educational Studies in Mathematics 77(1): 1-14.
• Iannone, P. & Simpson, A. (2011). The summative assessment diet: how we assess in mathematics degrees. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 30(4): 186-196.
• Moutsios-Rentzos, A. & Simpson, A. (2010). The thinking styles of university mathematics students. Acta Didactica Napocensia 3(4): 1-10.
• Alcock, L.J. & Simpson, A. (2009). The role of definitions in example classification. Psychology of Mathematics Education 33(2): 33-40.
• Inglis, M. & Simpson, A. (2009). Conditional inference and advanced mathematical study: Further evidence. Educational Studies in Mathematics 72(2): 185-198.
• Inglis, M. & Simpson, A. (2009). The defective and material conditionals in mathematics: Does it matter? Psychology of Mathematics Education 33(3): 225-232.
• Inglis, M. & Simpson, A. (2008). Conditional inference and advanced mathematical study. Educational Studies in Mathematics 67(3): 187-204.
• Inglis, M., Mejia-Ramos, J.P. & Simpson, A. (2007). Modelling mathematical argumentation: the importance of qualification. Educational Studies in Mathematics 66(1): 3-21.
• Simpson, A. & Stehlikova, N. (2006). Apprehending Mathematical Structure: A Case Study of Coming to Understand a Commutative Ring. Educational Studies in Mathematics 61(3): 347-371.
• Alcock, L. & Simpson, A.P. (2005). Convergence of Sequences and Series 2: Interactions between Nonvisual Reasoning and the Learner's Beliefs about their own Role. Educational Studies in Mathematics 58(1): 77-100.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (2005). Cognitive Empathy and the Transition to Independent Graduate Study in Mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics 58(1): 121-135.
• de Hoyos, M., Gray, E. & Simpson, A. (2004). Pseudo-solutioning. Research in Mathematics Education 6(1): 101-113.
• Alcock, L.J. & Simpson, A.P. (2004). Convergence of sequences and series: interactions between visual reasoning and the learner's beliefs about their own role. Educational Studies in Mathematics 57(1): 1-32.
• Alcock, L. & Simpson, A.P. (2002). Definitions: Dealing with Categories Mathematically. For the Learning of Mathematics 22(2): 28-34.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (2000). When does a way of working become a methodology? The Journal of Mathematical Behavior 19(2): 175-188.
• Simpson, A. (2000). What use are mathematics education researchers? MSOR Connections 1: 5-8.
• Duffin, J.M. & Simpson, A.P. (2000). A search for understanding. The Journal of Mathematical Behavior 18(4): 415-427.
• Tall, D., Thomas, M., Davis, G., Gray, E. & Simpson, A. (1999). What is the object of the encapsulation of a process? Journal of Mathematical Behavior 18(2): 223-241.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (1996). Mathematics across the university: facing the problem. Journal of Further and Higher Education 20(2): 116-124.
• Duffin, J.M. & Simpson, A. (1995). A theory, a story, its analysis and some implications. Journal of Mathematical Behavior 14(2): 237-250.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (1993). Natural, conflicting and alien. Journal of Mathematical Behavior 12(4): 313-320.
• Duffin, J. & Simpson, A. (1991). Interacting reflections on a young pupil's work. For the Learning of Mathematics 11(3): 10-15.
• Simpson, A.P. (1990). The infidel is innocent. Mathematical Intelligencer 12(3): 43-51.