Associate Professor Dũng Trần

Position: Associate Professor
Study area: Mathematics Education, STEM Education
Location: Mt Helen Campus, Office H237
Phone: 03 5327 6190
Email: dung.tran@federation.edu.au
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6091-4926

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum and Instruction Specialisation in Mathematics Education, PhD Minor in Statistics)– University of Missouri Columbia, USA – 2013

Master of Education (Mathematics Education) – Hue University of Education, Vietnam – 2007

Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) Hue University of Education, Vietnam – 2003

Teaching

Courses

  • Bachelor of Education (Primary)
  • Bachelor of Secondary Education
  • Masters of Teaching (Primary)
  • Masters of Teaching (Secondary)
  • Master of Specialist Teaching

Biography

Dr Dũng Trần is Associate Professor in Mathematics and STEM Education at the Institute of Education, Arts and Community. His research focuses on (a) designing and implementing curriculum to improve diverse students' mathematical literacy, and abilities to use mathematics and statistics to be functional and critical in the home, civic, and work-life; and (b) developing teacher competence to teach students mathematics, using holistic approaches. He has extensive experience in curriculum analysis and development at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He also works with preservice and inservice teachers in several countries to develop their mathematics teaching competence. He has expertise in document analysis, design-based research, clinical (task-based) interviews, and using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Associate Professor Trần is passionate about empowering Mathematics/STEM teachers to integrate ‘real-life’ problem solving and equity and social justice principles into Mathematics education. He maintains that teachers are the key agent in significantly improving student learning and that pedagogical content knowledge is foundational for these improvements. Associate Professor Trần’s research focuses on improving teacher competence to help shape their productive beliefs about Mathematics teaching and learning and building their subject matter knowledge and research-informed, student-oriented pedagogical strategies.

Areas of expertise

  • Mathematics Education
  • Statistics Education
  • Curriculum
  • Teacher Knowledge

Research interests

Dr Dũng Trần's research focuses on analysing, designing, and implementing curricular materials and supporting teacher professional growth to improve all students’ mathematical and statistical literacy, abilities to use mathematics and statistics to be functional and critical in the home, civic, and work life. Dũng maintains that two vertices in the instructional pyramid (cf. Dingman et al., 2021[1]) including curriculum and teacher are crucial if the goals are helping students to be productive citizens.

Curriculum as a Focus

Dr Dũng Trần has extensive experience related to curriculum design and implementation, and curriculum analysis. He argues that curriculum is a crucial issue in improving learning (cf., Tran et al., 2016) and can become educative materials for teachers (Tran & O’Connor under review).  This line of research will have the potential to expand as the changing of curriculum forms (e.g., digital, open sources) and new demands of society require curriculum reform.

Teacher as a Focus

Dũng maintains that research needs to support teachers’ professional growth if improving student learning is a goal. This line of research was built from his teaching experiences working teachers (both preservice and inservice) in Vietnam, USA, and Australia as well as my scientific investigations into this issue. This line of research aligns with my teaching expertise as preparing and training teachers are Dũng's key responsibilities. He has applied research into his teaching practice and used his practice to inform what research questions to investigate. Dũng argues that we need to have different models of growth for preservice teachers (Tran & Kasmer, under review) and the designing of their learning experience needs to be research-informed (Tran & Nguyen, 2021). In addition, when adopting best practice strategies in another culture, researchers need to work with teachers to understand their constraints and resources as well as challenge their current beliefs about teaching and learning, which is referred to as cultural transposition, before teacher learning can happen (Nguyen & Tran, 2022). Teachers are the key agent in the classroom, and they need opportunities to develop their professional knowledge to meet the demands of the fast-changing society.

Building on his experience and expertise in working in the two content areas of statistical literacy (e.g., Tran & Tarr, 2017; Lee, Doerr, Tran, Nickell, 2016; Tran, 2016; Tran & Lee, 2016) and mathematical modelling (e.g., Tran et al., 2020; Tran et al., 2018; Tran & Dougherty, 2014), Associate Professor Trần is prepared to continue this line of research with two foci, one on curriculum and the other on teacher professional knowledge.

Supervision

Completions

PhDs:
  • Thuy Nguyen:  Using Contextualised Teaching and Learning to Develop Students’ Mathematical Competencies in Derivative and Integral (2023)
  • Phuong Ta: Students’ Cognition and Attitudes When Participating in Authentic Mathematical Modelling (2020)
Masters:
  • Claudia Johnstone: Can Concepts Maps Improve Preservice Primary School Teachers Understanding of and Attitudes towards Mathematics? (2018)
  • Tri Nguyen: Teachers’ Roles When Teaching Mathematical Modelling (2017)
  • Nigel Hooley: The Roles of Teachers’ Beliefs and Past Engagement in Mathematics on Shaping Their Vision on Engagement for Future Students (2016)
  • Phuong Ta: Mathematical Modelling: Authenticity and Students’ Problem Solving (2015)

Current

PhD:
  • Nga Pham: Using Flipped Classroom to Develop Students’ Mathematical Competencies in Statistics (Expect 2024)
  • Binh Huynh: Changing Students’ Statistical Reasoning and Attitudes in the Introduction to Statistics Course (Expect 2024)
  • Karon Woo: Coding Animated Narratives for 21st Century Competencies (Expect 2023)
Masters:
  • Garry Jones: Parents’ Attitudes Towards Their Children’s Learning of Mathematics and the Role of Technology (Expect 2023)

Publications

Book chapters

Tran, D. & Nguyen, T. G. N. (2021). Presence in online mathematics methods courses: Design principles across institutions. In K. Hollebrands, R. Anderson, & K. Oliver (Eds). Online learning in mathematics education (pp. 43­–63). Springer.

Avineri, T., Lee, H, Tran, D., Lovett, J, & Gibson, T. (2018). Design and impact of MOOCs for mathematics teachers. In J. Silverman, & V. Hoyos (Eds) Distance learning, e-learning and blended learning of mathematics: International trends in research and development (pp. 185­–200). Springer.

Refereed journal articles

Dahm, R. M., Bull, R., Sadow, L., Tran, D., Zurynski Y., Amin, J., Hadley, F., Harrison, L. J., Waniganayake, M., Wong, S., & Degotardi, S. (2023, Online first). Readability and beyond – Health literacy and numeracy and COVID-19 communications in Early Childhood Education: Are we communicating effectively?. Patient Education and Counseling.

Tran, D., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, D., Ta, P., Huynh, B., Phan, P., Pham, N., Nguyen, N. (2023). Changes in lesson plans as teachers participate in a professional development on statistical literacy. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 22(5), 281-301. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.22.5.14

Tran, D., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, D., Ta, P., Huynh, B., Phan, P., Pham, N., Nguyen, N. (2023). Assessing lesson plans for developing students’ statistical literacy: a research-informed framework. Vietnam Journal of Education, 7(2), 74­–81. https://doi.org/10.52296/vje.2023.227

Wong, S., Ford, L, Davis, B, & Tran, D. (2023). Supporting regional and remote children’s participation in high quality early years services in regional and remote areas. Australian Journal of Early Childhood.

Nguyen, T. D.,& Tran, D. (2022, online first).High school mathematics teachers’ changes in belief and knowledge during lesson study. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education.

Chan, M. C. E., & Moate, J, Clarke, D, … Tran, D, & Tuohilamp, L. (2022). Learning research in a laboratory classroom: a reflection on complementarity and commensurability among multiple analytical accounts. ZDM–Mathematics Education, 1-13.

Degotardi, S., Waniganayake, M., Bull, R., …, Tran, D & Zurynski, Y. (2022). Using a multidisciplinary, multi-method and collaborative research design to investigate the health communication power of the early childhood sector. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 18369391221120958.

Tran, D., Nguyen, T. D.; Nguyen, T. T. A.; Nguyen, G. N. T., & Ta, T. M. P. (2020).Bridging to mathematical modelling: Vietnamese students’ response to different levels of authenticity in contextualised tasks. International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science and Technology, 51(6), 893­–912.

Tran D., & Tarr, E. J. (2018). Examination of bivariate data tasks in US high school textbooks through the statistical investigation and cognitive demands frameworks. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education.

Lee, H. S., Doerr, H, M., Tran, D., Nickell, J. (2016). The role of probability in developing a conceptual model for simulation approaches to inference. Statistics Education Research Journal, 15 (2), 216­–238.

Tran, D. (2016). Statistical Association: Alignment of current U.S. high school textbooks with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. School Science and Mathematics, 116(5), 286­–296.

Tran, D., Reys, B., Teuscher, D., Dingman, S., & Kasmer, L. (2016). Curriculum Standards Analysis: An important research area. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 47(2), 118­–133.

Teuscher, D., Tran, D., & Reys, B. (2015). Geometry and measurement in the middle grades in the Common Core: What’s new and how can teachers support student learning? School Science and Mathematics, 115(1), 4­–13.

Nguyen, G. N. T. & Tran, D. (2014). Mathematical modeling in a problem-based setting. Mathematics in Michigan - Journal of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics,Fall 2014, 47(2), 22­–26.

Tran, D. & Nguyen, G. N. T. (2014). Meeting between association and function: Bridging data to the theoretical model. Dimensions in Mathematics - Journal of the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Spring 2014, 34(1), 5­–8.

Tran, D., &Dougherty, B. (2014). Authenticity of mathematical modeling. Mathematics Teacher, 107(9), 672­–678.

Tran, D. (2013). Stay or leave: What are the factors to persist in mathematics doctoral programs in the U.S.? Perspectives from international students. Notices of the AMS, June/July 2013, 751­–756.

Reys, B., Thomas, A., Tran, D., Dingman, S., Kasmer, L., Newton, J. & Teuscher, D. (2013). State-level actions following adoption of common core state standards for mathematics. NCSM Journal of Mathematics Education Leadership, Fall/Winter 2012-13, 5­–13.

Trần, D., & Nguyễn, T. T. A. (2009). Sử dụng mô hình hoá toán học trong việc dạy học toán. Tạp chí Giáo dục, 219 (1), 23­–26.

Trần, D. (2007). Sử dụng mô hình hoá toán học trong chương trình toán phổ thông để nâng cao khả năng giải quyết vấn đề cho người học. Tạp chí Khoa học và Giáo dục, Trường Đại học Sư phạm Huế, 04 (04), 139­–148.

Refereed conference proceedings

Tran, D., O’Connor, R. B., Strang, R. (2023). Mathematics proficiency in F-6 in Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum. In B. Reid-O’Connor, E. Prieto-Rodriguez, K. Holmes, & A. Hughes (Eds). Weaving mathematics education research from all perspectives. Proceedings of the 45th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 411­–418). Newcastle: MERGA.

Jones, G., Tran, D., Bergen, V. P., Bower, M. (2023). Remote Australian school parents’ attitudes towards their children’s learning of mathematics and the role of technology. In B. Reid-O’Connor, E. Prieto-Rodriguez, K. Holmes, & A. Hughes (Eds). Weaving mathematics education research from all perspectives. Proceedings of the 45th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 299­–307). Newcastle: MERGA.

Tran, D., & Diez-Palomar, J. (2021). Measuring agency in mathematics collaborative problem solving. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri, & N.  Boonsena (Eds). Proceedings of the 44th Annual Meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol.4) (pp. 158­–166). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.

Tran, D., & Munro, J. (2019). Operationalise mathematical sophistication in a collaborative problem-solving: A conceptual paper. In G. Hine, S. Backley, & A. Cooker (Eds.), Mathematics Education Research:Impacting Practice (Proceedings of the 42nd annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia) (pp. 723­–730).

Tran, D.; Nguyen, T. T. A.; Nguyen, T. D.; Ta, T. M. P; Nguyen, G. N. T. (2018). Preparing preservice teachers to teach mathematical literacy: A reform in a teacher education program. In Y. Shimizu & R. Vihal, Proceedings of the twenty-fourth ICMI Study School Mathematics Curriculum Reforms: Challenges, Changes and Opportunities, Tsukuba, Japan (pp. 405­–412).

Nguyen, A. Bui, A., Nguyen, D., Nguyen, T., & Tran, D. (2018). Mathematical modelling competency of mathematics preservice teachers in the technology environment. In F. J. Hsieh (Ed.) Proceedings of the 8th ICMI-East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education, Vol 2, Taipei, Taiwan: EARCOME (pp. 217­–226).

Nguyen, D., Dang, N., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, N. & Tran, D. (2018) High school students’ covariational reasoning in interpreting dynamic situations.In F. J. Hsieh (Ed.) Proceedings of the 8th ICMI-East Asia Regional Conference on Mathematics Education, Vol 1, Taipei, Taiwan: EARCOME (pp. 174­–181).

Tran, D., & Javed, S, (2017). Examining non-traditional pathways preservice teachers’ attitudes towards mathematics. In A. Downton, S. Livy, & J. Hall (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Clayton, Victoria, Australia (pp. 503­–516).

Tran, D., & Chan, M. C. E. (2017). Examining mathematical sophistications in collaborative problem solving. In B. Kaur, W. K. Ho, T. L. Toh & B. H. Choy (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Singapore, Vol. 4 (pp. 281­–288).

Tran, D., & Lee, H. S., (2016). Designing massive open online courses for educators around the world: The case of teaching statistics. In H. MacGillivray, M. A. Martin., & B. Phillips (Eds.) Proceedings of the 9th Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics (OZCOTS) Canberra, Australia (pp. 77­–82).

Tran, D., Lee, H., & Doerr, H. (2016). Developing teachers’ reasoning about comparing distributions: A cross-institutional effort. In B. White, M. Chinnappan, & S. Trenholm (Eds.). Opening up mathematics education research (Proceedings of the 39th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia), Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (pp. 608–615).

Tạ, T. M. P., & Trần, D. (2015). Tính xác thực của mô hình hoá toán học – Thiết kế các nhiệm vụ toán học trong nhà trường. Kỷ yếu Hội Nghị Khoa học Trẻ 2015, Đại học Sư phạm Huế, Việt Nam, 50­–57.

Ziols, R., Fonger, N. L., Elliott, N., & Tran, D., (2015). Children’s reasoning with fraction representation systems. In T. G. Bartell, K. N. Bieda, R. T. Putnam, K. Bradfield, & H. Dominguez (Eds.). Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University (266).

Fonger, N., Tran, D., & Elliot, T. (2015). Variation in Children’s Understanding of Fractions: Preliminary Findings. Paper presented at the 2015 NCTM Research Conference, Boston, MA.

Jacob, L. B., Lee, S. H., Tran, D., & Doerr, M. H. (2015). Improving teachers’ reasoning about sampling variability: A cross-institutional effort. In K. Krainer, N. Vondrova (Eds.) Proceedings of the 9th Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education, Prague, Czech Republic (pp. 692­–699).

Lee, S. H., Tran, D., & Nickell J., Doerr, M. H.  (2015). Simulation approaches for informal inference: Models to develop understanding. In K. Krainer, N. Vondrova (Eds) Proceedings of the 9th Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education, Prague, Czech Republic (pp. 707­–714).

Tran, D., I, Y., Soria, V., & Darrough, R. L. (2013). Conceptualizing CCSSM mathematical practices on tasks and empirical works. In M. Martinez & A. Castro Superfine (Eds.). Proceedings of the 35th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Chicago, IL: University of Illinois at Chicago (pp. 312­–315).

Associations

  • International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (IGPME)
  • Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA)
  • Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators USA (AMTE)
  • National Council of Mathematics Teachers USA (NCTM)
  • Vietnam Mathematical Society (VMS)