Abstract:What are the fundamental features that characterize a research framework in mathematics education? What types of questions are important to ask in order to contrast and evaluate the potential associated with different frameworks? What vision of mathematics is endorsed or appears as important in particular perspectives? What types of tasks are used to promote learning within those perspectives? What instructional environments favor students learning under those frameworks? These questions were used as a guide to examine three important conceptual frameworks widely used in research and practice in mathematics education: Problem-solving, representations and visualization, and models-modeling perspectives.

Key words:Mathematics education frameworks; Research perspectives; Mathematical learning; Evaluation tool;