RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
How and Why Mathematics Faculty Use Evidence-Based Instructional Practices: A Revised Model of Instructional Decision-Making in Undergraduate Mathematics Education
Page: 894
Evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) are widely recognized as effective, yet their use in undergraduate mathematics remains sparse. While prior work has explained why faculty adopt EBIPs, less attention has been given to what happens after that decision – namely, how instructors implement these practices, why they use some approaches over others, and what shapes their persistence. In this theoretical report, I review literature on individual and contextual factors influencing EBIP use and identify limitations in existing models of instructional decision-making. I then propose a revised model that integrates Lattuca and Pollard’s (2016) framework with Schoenfeld’s (2010) resources-orientations-goals (ROG) theory. The model emphasizes the context-dependent nature of mathematics faculty’s EBIP use and centers implementation as the site where persistence is shaped. Using data from one case study, I illustrate how the model can trace the full cycle of EBIP engagement from adoption, to enactment, to the experiences that influence continued use.