Dr Karen Skilling is an Associate Professor at the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. Karen is currently the Deputy Director of Doctoral Research, Lead of the PGCE mathematics education at the Department of Education, and co-ordinates the Doctoral Teaching Fellows for teacher education. In 2020, Karen established the STEM Discussion Group and also convenes the Subject Pedagogy Group seminars.
Karen’s research interests include: student engagement and motivation in mathematics; integrated STEM learning and project-based STEM activities; and vignette methods. Karen currently sits on the Executive Committee of BSRLM, and is a journal Editor for the Teaching Education Journal (TEJ) and Research in Mathematics Education (RME). Karen has also been co-Editor for several special issues, and a topic study co-lead at the Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME). Karen is a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London and been an HEA Fellow since 2016.
Awards include: Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) (APAI): funded PhD role attached to MYTEAM Project awarded by Australian Research Council (2008 –2012); Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Department of Education, University of Oxford (2013-14); and nominations for Most Outstanding Contribution to Student Experience at King’s College London (2015, 2016, 2017).
Research
Kuntze, S., Fernández, C., Friesen, M., Ivars, P., Krummenauer, J., Llinares, S., Samková, L., Skilling, K., Healy, L., Bernabeu, M., & Schwaderer, F. (2022).Cartoon vignettes for connecting mathematics education theory and practice – Supporting teacher education and professional development through collaborative reflection on mathematics classrooms. [Book preprint available online at http://www.coreflect.eu/download/book-preprint-io3.pdf]
Maguire, M., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Pepper, D. & Skilling, K. (Eds). (2018). Becoming a Teacher (5th Edition), Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Skilling, K. & Park, W. (under review). “STEM in a changing world: what is valuable and valued”. In English, L.D., & Lehmann, T.H. (Eds). Ways of Thinking in STEM-based Problem Solving: Learning in a New Era (Taylor & Francis).
Jablonka, E. and Skilling, K. (2018). Numeracy, mathematical literacy and mathematics. In Maguire, M., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Pepper, D. & Skilling, K. (Eds). Becoming a Teacher (5th Edition), Chapter 19. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Skilling, K. (2023). Managing classroom behaviour and engaging students in learning. In Gibbons, S., Brock, R., Glackin, M., Rushton, E, & Towers, E. (Eds.) Becoming a Teacher (6th Edition), Chapter 18. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Skilling, K. (2018). Engaged in learning: Learning to engage. In Maguire, M., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Pepper, D. & Skilling, K. (Eds). Becoming a Teacher (5th Edition), Chapter 11. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Skilling, K. (2020). Shifting and shaping student beliefs about STEM education, pathways and engagement through integrated project experiences. In Y. Li & J. Anderson (Eds). Integrated approaches to STEM education: An international perspective: Springer.
Skilling, K., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Maguire, M., and Pepper, D. (2018). Becoming a teacher. In Maguire, M., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Pepper, D. & Skilling, K. (Eds). Becoming a Teacher (5th Edition), Chapter 1. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Glackin, M., Gibbons, S., Maguire, M. Pepper, D. and Skilling, K. (2018). Continuing a teacher. In Maguire, M., Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Pepper, D. & Skilling, K. (Eds). Becoming a Teacher (5th Edition), Chapter 26. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.
Wan, Z.H., English, L., So, W.W.M., Skilling, K. STEM Integration in Primary Schools: Theory, Implementation and Impact. Int J of Sci and Math Educ21 (Suppl 1), 1–9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-023-10401-x
Skilling, K., & Stylianides, G. J. (2023). Using vignettes to investigate mathematics teachers’ beliefs for promoting cognitive engagement in secondary mathematics classroom practice. ZDM – The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 55, 477-490. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11858-022-01431-w
Skilling, K. (2023) “Student engagement in mathematics: teachers reports”. Mathematics in Schools, 52(2), 2-8.
Skilling, K., Bobis, J., & Martin, A. J. (2021) The ins and outs of student engagement in mathematics: shifts in engagement between high and low achievers. Mathematics Education Research Journal 33, 469-493. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00313-2
Skilling, K., and Stylianides, G.J., (2020) Using vignettes in educational research: a framework for vignette construction. International Journal of Research & Method in Education 43(5), 541-556. DOI: 1080/1743727X.2019.1704243
Kuntze, S., Friesen, M., Krummenauer, J., Skilling, K., Fernandez Verdu, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Healy, L., & Samková, L. (2020). Lernen und Reflektieren mit Unterrichtsvignetten – Impulse aus dem EU-Projekt coReflect@maths für das Gestalten von Lernanlässen im Unterricht der MINT-Fächer. MNU-Journal, 73(5), 418–425.
Skilling, K. (2018). What do teachers believe about student engagement in mathematics and why does it matter? Scottish Mathematical Council Journal, 48, 64-71. (not peer reviewed).
Durksen, T.L., Way, J., Bobis, J., Anderson, J., Skilling, K., & Martin, A.J. (2017). Motivation and engagement in mathematics: A qualitative framework for teacher-student interactions. Mathematics Education Research Journal 29, 163-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13394-017-0199-1
Skilling, K., Bobis, J., Martin, A. J., Anderson, J., & Way, J. (2016). What secondary teachers think and do about student engagement in mathematics. Mathematics Education Research Journal 28, 545-566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13394-016-0179-x
Skilling, K. & English, L.D. (Eds). Contemporary issues in Mathematics Education within a STEM Climate. (Special Issue for Research in Mathematics Education journal – call sent in Oct 2023 for publication mid 2025).
Skilling, K. & Friesen, M. Comparing the problem solving beliefs of pre-service teachers stimulated by vignette activities, to be submitted to Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (expt. Feb 2024).
Skilling, K. Teacher Reports of Student Engagement & Motivation in Mathematics: Findings from the ORRSEM Project, to be submitted to Journal of Teacher Education. (expt. March 2024).
Skilling, K. & Puttick, S. Integrating STEM perspectives to explore important environmental and sustainability issues: Reports from the GEM project. (expt. April 2024).
Skilling, K. & Puttick, S. Integrating STEM perspectives to explore important environmental and sustainability issues: Reports from the GEM project. ICME-15 TSG 3.16 (accepted).
Skilling, K. Conceptualizing engagement and motivation constructs: the ORRSEM Project. ICME-15 TSG 4.7. (accepted).
Street, K.E.S., Skilling, K., & Stylianides, G.J. A novel observation measure of dyadic interactions to measure teachers’ differentiated instruction to support students’ mathematics self-efficacy and performance. ICME-15 TSG 5.1. (accepted).
Skilling, K. (2023) Conceptualising the relationship between student engagement and motivation: teacher reports from the ORRSEM Project, EDULEARN23 Proceedings, pp. 356-362.
Skilling, K. (2023). Constructing purposeful vignettes as credible representations of practice for use with pre-service teachers. Joint Conference if Mathematics Subject Associations. Warwick University, Warwick, England, April 3-4.
Skilling, K. (2022). Vignettes representing practice to support mathematics teaching. In J. Bobis & C. Preston (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International STEM in Education Conference (STEM 2022), The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, November 23-26. The University of Sydney.
Kuntze, S., Friesen, M., Erens, R., Krummenauer, J., Samková, L., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Skilling, K., & Healy, L. (2022). Helping learners – Pre-service Mathematics teachers’ conceptions of learning support through the lens of their situated noticing – a vignette-based study. Research Report submitted for Proceedings of the 45thConference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.
Kuntze, S., Friesen, M., Krummenauer, J., Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Samková, L., & Healy, L. (2022). Support for mathematics teachers through representations of practice – Vignette-based approaches in the project coReflect@maths. In J. Morska & A. Rogerson (Eds.),Building on the Past to Prepare for the Future. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of The Mathematics Education for the Future Project, King’s College, Cambridge, Aug 8-13, 2022. Münster: WTM.
Friesen, M., Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S. & Kuntze, S. (2021).Using vignettes in Mathematics teacher education and research: The role of knowledge and beliefs. International Symposium 9th Biennial European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI2021).
Friesen, M., Kuntze, S., Krummenauer, J., Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Samková, L., & Healy, L. (2021). Enhancing teacher education with cartoon-based vignettes: the DIVER tool. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Eds.)Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 1 (p. 224). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.
Ivars, P., Fernández, C., Llinares, S., Friesen, M., Healy, L., Krummenauer, J., Kuntze, S., Samková, L., & Skilling, K. (2021). Designing vignettes-based courses for teacher training. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Eds.)Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 1 (p. 224). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.
Kuntze, S., Friesen, M., Krummenauer, J., Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Healy, L., & Samková, L. (2021). Aspects of teachers’ analysing competence in the domain of DPaCK – Digitality-related requirements and vignette-based approaches. Beiträge zum Mathematikuntericht 2021. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Eds.)Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 1 (p. 224). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.
Samková, L., Skilling, K., Healy, L., Fernandez, C., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Friesen, M., Krummenauer, J., & Kuntze, S. (2021). Enhancing teacher education with cartoon-based vignettes: the case of Concept Cartoons. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Eds.)Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 1 (p. 224). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.
Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Friesen, M., Healy, L., Ivars, P., Kuntze, S Llinares, S., Samková, L. (2021). Vignettes as representations of practice for mathematics teacher education and research [Working Group at PME 44]. In M. Inprasitha, N. Changsri & N. Boonsena (Eds.) Proceedings of the 44th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 1(p. 99-101). Khon Kaen, Thailand: PME.
Ivars, P., Fernández, C., Llinares, S., Friesen, M., Krummenauer, J., Kuntze, S., Healy, L., Samková, L., & Skilling, K. (2020). A digital tool to support teachers’ collaborative reflection on mathematics classroom situations: The Erasmus+ coreflect@maths project. 13thannual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2020).
Krummenauer, J., Kuntze, S., Friesen, M., Fernández, C., Healy, L., Ivars, P., Llinares, S., Samková, L., & Skilling, K. (2020). Developing a digital tool for vignette-based professional development of mathematics teachers – the potential of different vignette formats. In A. Donevska-Todorova, E. Faggiano, J. Trgalova, Z. Lavicza, R. Weinhandl, A. Clark-Wilson & H.-G. Weigand (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10thAnnual ERME topic conference (ETC10) on Mathematics Education in the Digital Age (MEDA) (pp. 69-76). Linz, Austria. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02932218/document
Kuntze, S., Krummenauer, J., Friesen, M., Skilling, K., Fernández, C., Ivars, P., Samková, L., Llinares, S., & Healy, L. (2020). Vignettes in mathematics pre-service and in-service teachers’ professional development – Background, empirical findings and an outlook on the European project coReflect@maths. ECER 2020, Glasgow. [Paper accepted, conference cancelled].
Schukajlow, S., Gómez-Chacón, IM., Haser,C., Liljedahl, P., Skilling, K., and Viitala, H.(2019). Eleventh Congress of the European Society, Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME11) / [ed] Uffe Thomas Jankvist, Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Michiel Veldhuis, Utrecht, the Netherlands: ERME, 2019, p. 1389-1392, article id hal-02409908.
Skilling, K. (2019). Distinguishing engagement from achievement: understanding influential factors for engaged and disengaged low achieving mathematics students. Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Mathematics Education 2019. Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME11) / [ed] Uffe Thomas Jankvist, Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Michiel Veldhuis, Utrecht, the Netherlands: ERME, 2019.
Skilling, K. (2019) Shifting and shaping student STEM beliefs: learning from a transdisciplinary robot project. 5th International Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Education Conference (STEM 2018), Queensland: Queensland University of Technology.
Zhang, D., Skilling, K., Bobis, J. (2016). Autonomy supportive teaching practices: International perspectives. 4th International Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Education Conference (STEM 2016), Beijing: Beijing Normal University Publishing Group.
Skilling, K. & Stylianides, G.J. (2015). Promoting cognitive engagement in secondary mathematics classrooms. In K. Krainer & N. Vondrová (Eds.), Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME9, 4-8 February 2015) (pp. 1280-1286). Prague, Czech Republic: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education and ERME.
Skilling, K., Bobis, J., & Martin, A. (2015). The Engagement of students with high and low achievement levels in mathematics. In Beswick, K., Muir, T., Wells, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Psychology of Mathematics Education conference (Vol. 4, pp. 185-192). Hobart, Australia: PME.
Way, J., Bobis, J., Anderson, J., Skilling, K., & Martin, A. (2015). Focusing on individuals: an investigation of student engagement. NCTM Research Conference. Boston, USA.
Skilling, K. (2014). Teacher practices: How they promote or hinder student engagement. In Anderson, J., Cavanagh, M., & Prescott, A., Curriculum in Focus: Research guided practice. (Proceedings of the 37th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 589-596). Sydney, NSW: MERGA. Skilling, K. and Mason, J. (2014) Spaces and Values: What is Available to be Adopted by Students. In Helenius, O., Engström, A., Meaney, T., Nilsson, P., Norén, E., Sayers, J., & Österholm, M. (Eds.), Development of Mathematics Teaching: Design, Scale, Effects. Proceedings from MADIF9: The Ninth Swedish Mathematics Education Research Seminar, Umeå, February 4-5, 2014. Linköping: SMDF. ISBN: 978-91-973934-9-2, ISSN: 1651-3274.
