Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Psychological Sciences

Associate Professor Robert Reeve

BA(Hons), PhD, MAPsA

Associate Professor, Lecturer

Contact details:

email: r.reeve AT unimelb.edu.au  
telephone: +61 3 8344 6383  

 

The aim of my research is to identify the cognitive, neurological, socio-cultural and educational bases of children's mathematical reasoning. I am especially interested in identifying different patterns of mathematical understanding and the ways in which these patterns change or remain stable over time. In association with colleagues, I am currently conducting research on:

  1. individual differences in preschool children's number, quantity and measurement competencies
  2. transitions between informal and formal fractional number understanding
  3. the cognitive and neurological bases of dyscalculia in young children
  4. the relationships between the development of mathematical, language and general cognitive concepts across the primary-school years,
  5. the nature of indigenous children's number and measurement concepts
  6. children's mathematical reasoning practices in difference cultural settings
  7. the significance of individual differences in children's proportional reasoning
  8. using interactive assessment to evaluate children's mathematical learning potential in rational number and algebra
  9. the nature of students' analogical reasoning about rational number concepts
  10. individual differences in the development of primary-school aged children's addition and subtraction concepts.

Research Interests:

Professional Associations, Memberships & Awards:

Recent Funded Research:


Project: International Perspectives on Children's Mathematical Competence
Year: 2002–2004
Funded by: Australian Research Council International Linkage Grant

Project: Ideas of Number in Aboriginal Children without Experience of Number Words or Counting
Year: 2002–2006
Funded by: Leverhulme Foundation Grant

Project: Children's Mathematical Development in the Primary School Year
Year: 2002–2004
Funded by: Australian Research Council Large Grant

Project: A Longitudinal Study of Children's Mathematical Development across the Primary School Years
Year: 2002–
Funded by: Australian Research Council Small Grant & Department Funding Scheme (PRSS)

 

Selected Publications in Mathematical Cognitive Development Psychology:

Canobi, K., Reeve, R. A., & Pattison, P. E. (2002). Young children's understanding of addition concepts. Educational Psychology, 22, 1-24.

Canobi, K., Reeve, R. A., & Pattison, P. E. (2003). The conceptual basis of addition problem solving. Developmental Psychology, 39, 521-534.

Reeve, R. A., & Reynolds, F. (2001). Co-constructing mathematical understanding (pp 231-254). In D. Clarke (Eds.), Science and mathematical learning in classrooms . Kluwer.

Reeve, R. A., & Reynolds, F. (2002). Gesture in collaborative mathematics problem-solving. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 20, 447-460.

Webber, L. S., Reeve, R. A., Kershaw, M., & Charlton, J. (2002). Assessing numerical competence in legal contexts. Psychology, Psychiatry and Law, 9, 248-256.

Canobi, K. H., Reeve, R. A., & Pattison, P. E. (1998). The role of conceptual understanding in children's addition problem solving. Developmental Psychology, 34, 882-891.

Reeve, R. A., & Pattison, P. (1996). The referential adequacy of students' analogies of common fractions. Mathematical Cognition. 2, 1-36

Brown, A. L., & Reeve, R. A., (1988). "Bandwidths of competence: The role of supportive contexts in learning and development. In L. Liben (Ed.), Learning and Development: Conflict or congruence ? ( 173-216). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Brown, A. L., Campione, J. C., Reeve, R. A., & Ferrara, R. A. (1992). Interactive learning and individual understanding: The case of mathematics. In L. T. Landsmann (Ed.), Culture, schooling and psychological development . Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum

PhD Students under Supervision in Mathematical Cognitive Development Psychology:

PhD Students under Supervision in Developmental Psychology:

 

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