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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.