Reviewer Acknowledgements
 
 Journal of Mathematics Research wishes to acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Their help and contributions in maintaining the quality of the journal is greatly appreciated.
 
 Many authors, regardless of whether Journal of Mathematics Research publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers.
 
 Reviewers for Volume 11, Number 2
 
  
 
 Ahmed Saad Rashed, Zagazig University, Egypt
 
 Alan Jalal Abdulqader, Al-Mustansiriyah University, Iraq
 
 Amjad Salari, Razi University, Iran
 
 Arman Aghili, University of Guilan, Iran
 
 Denis Khleborodov, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
 
 Gane Sam Lo, Universite Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal
 
 Gener Santiago Subia, NUeva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Philippines
 
 Ivan Drazic, University of Rijeka, Croatia
 
 Maria Alessandra Ragusa, University of Catania, Italy
 
 Maria Cecília Santos Rosa, Instituto Politecnico da Guarda, Portugal
 
 Martin Anokye, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
 
 Mohammad A. AlQudah, German Jordanian University, Jordan
 
 N. V. Ramana Murty, Andhra Loyola College, India
 
 Neha Hooda, New Jersey City University, United States
 
 Paul J. Udoh, University of Uyo., Nigeria
 
 Rovshan Bandaliyev, National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan
 
 Sanjib Kumar Datta, University of Kalyani, India
 
 Sergiy Koshkin, University of Houston Downtown, USA
 
 Suzana Blesic, Italy
 
 Vishnu Narayan Mishra, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, India
 
 Zhongming Wang, Florida International University, USA
 
  
 
 Sophia Wang
 
 On behalf of,
 
 The Editorial Board of Journal of Mathematics Research
 
 Canadian Center of Science and Education
 
                                                                                                                         

It is not often acknowledged that educational research increasingly places unrealistic expectations on teachers, especially teachers of mathematics. This paper explores issues relating to idealism within educational research, especially in terms of how it manifests as potentially unrealistic expectations academics may have of, and place on, classroom teachers. The paper draws on reflections from observing an international panel of mathematics education researchers observing classroom teachers at work. It outlines some of the philosophical complications of observations, especially its theory-laden nature, and outlines some potential implications such idealism can have for teachers, and how this may be linked to mathematics culture.

Independent of institution size and faculty research expectations, a growing number of colleges and universities encourage their undergraduates to engage in some form of research experience. To meet the demand of students seeking such experiences and to ensure these experiences are of high quality, it is imperative to have qualified mentors. While senior faculty rely on years of experience in mentoring research projects, professors stepping into these undergraduate mentoring roles at the graduate student or junior faculty level may not be as equipped to handle the potential hurdles unique to working with teams of undergraduates. This article is aimed at such an audience. Although much of the article is relevant to mentoring projects in any area of mathematics, some comments and suggestions are directed more to working with students in applied mathematics. This article includes advice gleaned from the National Science Foundation-sponsored Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics (CURM) faculty workshop in conjunction with personal experiences from the author, a CURM mini-grant recipient. The primary goals of the paper are to answer questions one might have when starting a project with undergraduates and to provide the reader with concrete steps to follow in planning and successfully completing such a project.

Can providing learner support materials, particularly custom-designed workbooks, improve primary mathematics achievement more cost effectively than providing conventional textbooks? To contribute to this debate, this paper reports on the findings of a study conducted in 2010 by a consortium of educational researchers at JET Education Services and University of the Witwatersrand. Between January and June 2010, the consortium undertook a randomised control trial of learning support materials in Grade 6 classes in 44 primary schools serving low income communities in Gauteng province. The study shows that Grade 6 learners exhibit the same degree of learning improvement in mathematics, whether they use a conventional textbook or a workbook specifically customised to address the problems exhibited by South African learners. From a policy perspective, no warrant can be issued on the relative effectiveness of the specific workbooks considered in the study.