On the influence of theory on research in mathematics education: the case of teaching and learning limits of functions

After an introduction on approaches, research frameworks and theories in mathematics education research, three didactical research studies on limits of functions with different research frameworks are analysed and compared with respect to their theoretical perspectives. It is shown how a chosen research framework defines the world in which the research lives, pointing to the difficult but necessary task to compare research results within a common field of study but conducted within different frameworks.