Anders Eickstedt Wiik has followed the PhD Programme at the Faculty of Engineering and Science, with Specialization in Mathematical Sciences, Scientific Field Mathematics Education.
- Trial lecture starts at 10:30
- Public defence starts at 12:30
Title of trial lecture: "Opportunities and challenges by taking a broad perspective on what qualifies as mathematics education research"
Disputation chair: Ingvald Erfjord, Department for Mathematical Sciences
Assessment committee:
- First opponent: Professor Rune Herheim, Western University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Norway
- Second opponent: Professor Uwe Gellert, Free University Berlin, Germany
- Chair of Assessment Committee: Professor Emerita Elise Seip Tønnessen, University of Agder
Supervisors in the doctoral work:
- Main supervisor: Professor Pauline Vos, Western University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Norway
- Co-supervisor: Professor Martin Engebretsen, University of Agder
Summary of thesis
Weather forecasts and COVID diagrams are everyday mathematics
Diagrams and graphs are used in many ways and by many people. Among others, we encounter them in the news. What does this mean for you and me?
In my doctoral dissertation I have researched weather forecasts and COVID diagrams from news media. In this dissertation I try to show which mathematical skills are needed to make sense of such diagrams. The research on weather forecasts has shown that forecasts have changed over time. Older forecasts were telling the reader how the weather would be through text. Newer forecasts give the reader a lot of information through maps and tables, which the reader must interpret and make sense of themselves.
The older forecasts would often say something about the background of the forecast. For example, it could say that warm and humid air masses would move in from the south and cause wet weather. In the newer forecasts, such explanations are rare. This means that the reader no longer get insight into the science behind the forecast.
The research on COVID diagrams showed that readers met high mathematical expectations to understand the news during the pandemic. Some readers were less prepared than others to meet these expectations. Knowledge of the pandemic and prior experience with reading diagrams made it easier to make sense of these diagrams. The research also showed that readers can be reflexive about how mathematics was used to inform about the pandemic and the spread of the virus.
In my dissertation I connect the findings to the roles of mathematics in society and peoples’ everyday lives. What does lifelong learning of mathematics entail? And how does everyday mathematics relate to school mathematics?
What to do as an online audience member
The disputation is open to the public. To follow the trial lecture and the public defence online, register on Zoom.
We ask online audience members to join no earlier than 10 minutes in advance. After these times, you can leave and rejoin the meeting at any time.
Opponent ex auditorio:
Deadline for the public to pose questions is during the break between the two opponents. Questions ex auditorio can be submitted to disputation chair Ingvald Erfjord.
Contact person
- victoria.belous@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 23 46