Siri Ovedal-Hakestad

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Larson, Niclas (2025). Pre-service teachers’ experiences of working with learner-generated example tasks through a computer-aided assessment system. Skrifter från Svensk förening för matematikdidaktisk forskning. ISSN 1651-3274. 19, p. 273–280. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study reports from 21 pre-service teachers’ (PST) experiences of working with learnergenerated example tasks for the first time, through a computer-aided assessment system. Three PSTs volunteered to a follow-up interview after engaging with the digital tasks. Results indicate that most PSTs found these tasks difficult and struggled to grasp the new approach. Additionally, the one PST who solved all tasks correctly also was the only one that enjoyed the new working strategy. This suggests that new working methods can be overwhelming for PSTs, and that it takes time to engage and implement mathematical tasks designed in a new way.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2024). Learner-generated Examples Within a System for Computer-aided Assessment as a Tool for Engaging In-service Teachers with Linear Functions. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development (MTED). ISSN 1442-3901. 26(2). Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines how learner-generated examples (LGE) tasks within a system for computer-aided assessment (CAA) facilitate in-service teachers' (ISTs') engagement with and explorations of the features of linear functions. Employing the concept of example spaces, the study explores how ISTs approach and engage with linear functions through these tasks. Seven ISTs participated in a series of LGE tasks in a CAA system, and their digital responses were collected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants following task completion. The results reveal common procedures adopted by the ISTs, such as using the "one-unit-right-a-up/down" procedure, as well as varying approaches to generation points and plotting them into a coordinate system. ISTs, however, faced challenges in effectively communicating their mathematical explanations. This study highlights the potential of LGE tasks in a CAA system to enhance ISTs' example spaces and improve their understanding of mathematical concepts.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Larson, Niclas (2023). Pre-service teachers’ perception of LGE-tasks through a digital assessment system. In Drijvers, Paul; Csapodi, Csaba; Palmer, Hanna; Gosztonyi, Katalin & Kónya, Eszter (Ed.), Proceedings of the thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13). European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. ISSN 9789637031045. p. 3459–3460. Full text in Research Archive
• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2023). Students' Mathematical Working Styles and Perception of Immediate Feedback in a Digital Assessment System. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME). Full text in Research Archive

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• Larson, Niclas; Stigberg, Henrik & Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2026). Spøkelser etter avdøde stipendiater. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I 2026 års første episode av Spøkelser etter avdøde størrelser har Niclas Larson truffet to personer som akkurat har disputert. Episoden har derfor fått det passende navnet «Spøkelser etter avdøde stipendiater». Personene lever heldigvis, men rollen som stipendiat er avdød. De to nye doktorene er Henrik Stigberg og Siri Ovedal-Hakestad. Henrik disputerte den 20. januar med avhandlingen «Digital fabrication for making manipulatives in mathematics teacher education: An inquiry into digital fabrication in mathematics teacher education» og Siri disputerte den 22. januar med avhandlingen «Exploring example generation in mathematics education: Engagement with learner-generated example tasks within a computer-aided assessment system». I de semistrukturerte samtalene får vi blant annet høre om hvem Henrik og Siri er, innholdet i avhandlingene, hvordan det var å disputere og hva de vil gjøre nå. Episoden avsluttes med noen ord om Barbara Jaworski. Barbara var medlem av bedømmelseskomiteen som godkjente Henriks avhandling, men døde dessverre før disputasen der hun ville ha vært opponent.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Larson, Niclas (2024). Pre-service teachers’ experiences of working with learner-generated example tasks through a computer-aided assessment system. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study reports from 21 pre-service teachers’ (PST) experiences of working with learner-generated example tasks for the first time, through a computer-aided assessment system. The PSTs were observed during engagement with the digital tasks and three of the students volunteered to a follow-up interview. Results indicate that most PSTs found these tasks difficult and struggled to grasp the new approach. Additionally, the one PST who solved all tasks correctly also was the only one that enjoyed the new working strategy. This suggests that new working methods can be overwhelming for PSTs, and that it takes time to engage and implement mathematical tasks designed in a new way.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2024). Learner-generated Examples Within a System for Computeraided Assessment as a Tool for Engaging In-service Teachers with Linear Functions. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development (MTED). ISSN 1442-3901. Full text in Research Archive
• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Larson, Niclas (2023). Pre-service teachers’ perception of LGE-tasks through a digital assessment system. Full text in Research Archive
• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Kristensen, Morten Søyland (2023). Hvordan påvirker digitale øvingsoppgaver lærerstudenters motivasjon i matematikk? Full text in Research Archive
• Larson, Niclas; Fidje, Anders Støle; Hundeland, Per Sigurd; Hansen, Michael Rygaard; Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri & Erfjord, Ingvald [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Spøkelser etter avdøde størrelser hjemsøker KLæM 22. [Internet]. Apple Podcasts. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I en annerledes episode av Spøkelser etter avdøde størrelser har Niclas Larson intervjuet foredragsholdere og deltakere i Konferanse for lærerutdannere i matematikk, KLæM 22. Dette har blitt satt sammen til en episode som rapporterer om noen av bidragene på konferansen og hva et par av deltakerne syntes om innholdet. Dessuten får vi igjen møte Andy the Candy, som var gjest i 10. episode sesong 1 – PhD student under cover.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2022). Pre-service teachers' mathematical learning in an online assessment system. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Tools for assessing digitally has become widespread and assessable in mathematics. Combined with the Covid-19 pandemic, we have reached a point where computer aided assessment is a part of university mathematics. Thus, there is a need to map ways to use computer aided assessment that strengthen students’ mathematical learning. Therefore, my aim is to study how an online assessment system influence students’ mathematical learning. To reach this aim, my research question is “How do pre-service teachers’ mathematical working methods and learning develop when using STACK?” Digital assessment opens for opportunities and advantages traditional pen and paper environments cannot provide. However, what are these opportunities and advantages? In what ways does this influence students’ mathematical learning? How do students use STACK as an instrument for learning mathematics? This is a pilot study where I will investigate how pre-service teachers use the online assessment system STACK to study mathematics. The students have chosen mathematics as their main subject. This is their second semester with mathematics, and focus is on algebra and linear and quadratic functions. In addition to traditional teaching, I will give the students STACK tasks to work with during problem solving sessions. These tasks do not influence the grading of the students. It is a formative assessment as a supplement for their mathematical learning. After completing the STACK tasks, I will conduct semi-structured interviews with students. The emphasis is on students experience of using this tool, and their reflections on their mathematical learning and working methods when they work in a digital assessment system. The aim is to understand what changes with the mathematical learning when students work with computer aided assessment. This is work in progress, interviews will be conducted this February and preliminary results will be presented at the conference.

• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2022). Lærerstudenters erfaring med algebraiske oppgaver i det digitale vurderingssystemet STACK. Full text in Research Archive
• Ovedal-Hakestad, Siri (2025). Exploring example-generation in mathematics education: Engagement with learnergenerated example tasks within acomputer-aided assessment system. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 9788284272948. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The digital development has gradually shaped mathematics education. Simultaneously, there is a challenge with making learners active participants in developing engagement and exploration within the mathematical digital environment. In line with these developments and challenges, this thesis reports from a research study that investigates whether and how example generation tasks in a digital learning environment may support engagement and exploration in mathematics education. By turning the attention to pre-service teachers (PSTs) and in-service teachers (ISTs), this thesis examines how they engage with, approach, and reflect on learner-generated example (LGE) tasks within a computer-aided assessment (CAA) system. Grounded in an interpretive paradigm (Guba & Lincoln, 1994) and employing a qualitative research design (Bryman, 2012), this research explores PSTs’ and ISTs’ working styles, the mathematical structures and properties they highlight when working with LGE tasks in a CAA system, and the experiences of interacting with LGE tasks within a CAA system. The study primarily employs LGE tasks inspired by Watson and Mason (2005), which require learners to create their own examples of mathematical objects that satisfy specified conditions. LGE tasks have opportunities to foster creativity, generalisation, and conceptual understanding, while their multiple solutions make them suitable for integration into a CAA system (Sangwin, 2003). This thesis comprises three studies which resulted in four articles. Each article employs a distinct theoretical lens to examine whether and how LGE tasks can shape PSTs’ and ISTs’ engagement with mathematical tasks within a CAA system. Article 1 examined the working styles of PSTs as they engaged with mathematical tasks in the CAA system for the first time. Drawing on Weigand and Weller’s (2001) framework, participants’ working styles were analysed to uncover patterns in how they interacted with the tasks and tools when working with mathematics tasks in a CAA system. Article 2 explored PSTs’ first experiences with LGE tasks within the CAA system. Through the analysis of interviews, this article aimed to understand how PSTs construct examples and how they perceived this work. Article 3 investigated ISTs’ engagement with LGE tasks, focusing on their exploration of linear functions. Linear functions were chosen because their properties align well with the design of LGE tasks, offering opportunities for participants to explore critical features and variations systematically. Using the concept of example spaces (Zazkis & Leikin, 2007), the study analysed how ISTs’ generated examples reveal insights into their understanding and approach to mathematical concepts. Article 4 examined more closely ISTs’ engagement with LGE tasks, through the lenses or working styles and experiences. The study aimed to understand how ISTs navigate task complexity, adapt strategies, and balance procedural and conceptual engagement in a digital assessment system. The data gathered in all three studies involve individual semi-structured interviews, digital tasks responses, and classroom observations. These methods are appropriate for a qualitative study, as they enable an in-depth exploration of the participants’ experiences and engagement. Rather than aiming for generalisation, this thesis adopts an explorative approach, seeking to uncover rich insights and provide a thorough understanding of how PSTs and ISTs engage with and explore mathematical tasks within a CAA system. The thesis examines their experiences, reflections and working styles while interacting with these tasks in a digital learning environment, contributing to a deeper understanding of these phenomena. This thesis contributes to mathematics education research by addressing an underexplored intersection between LGE tasks and digital assessment. More specifically, it provides new insights into how PSTs and ISTs engage with and reflect on LGE tasks within a CAA system, revealing patterns shaped by both task design and digital context. By including both PSTs and ISTs, the thesis highlights the relevance of LGE tasks across different stages of teacher development. Furthermore, the findings offer practical guidance for the design and implementation of exploratory, learner-centred assessment practices in digital learning environments.

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