Dr. Mark Prendergast is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the School of Education, University College Cork. He is a graduate of Physical Education and Mathematics (BSc.(Hons.), 2007), and Mathematics Education (PhD, 2011) from the University of Limerick.

He joined the UCC School of Education in 2019 and is currently Director of the School's Cohort PhD in Education programme. He is also involved in the delivery of a number of modules on the School's Professional Master of Education (PME) and M.Ed. Masters programmes. Mark has held previous academic positions in the National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning (NCE_MSTL) in the University of Limerick (2011 - 2012), in the Dublin Institute of Technology (2012 - 2014), and in the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin (2014 - 2019).

Mark's key research interests lie broadly in the areas of mathematics education, teacher education, and adult numeracy. He has published numerous articles in journals such as Irish Educational Students, Journal of Curriculum Studies, Research in Mathematics Education, the International Journal of Educational Research, the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, and the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. Since 2010, Mark has published over 50 peer reviewed journal articles, 5 book chapters, 4 national research reports, and many conference papers which have been presented nationally and internationally.

Successful research funding include three Irish Research Council New Foundation awards, two European Erasmus+ grants, two SCoTENS North / South Research Project grants, and two Teaching Council John Coolahan Research Support Framework awards. Mark supervises PhD research in the broad area of education. 

Mark's research interests all stem from his passion to improve teaching and learning. This is the unifying focus for his research programme which is centred upon three main themes: 

• Mathematics Education
• Initial Teacher Education
• Adult Numeracy

Year: 2025
Name: Orla Slattery
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: Navigating a male dominated domain: Experiences of female STEM students in higher education in Ireland

Year: 2025
Name: Helen Hallissey
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: The Play Script: An Action Research Study into Playwriting in Senior Classes in the Primary School

Year: 2025
Name: Avril Carey
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: Supporting students with Acquired Brain Injury in Irish Schools-A mixed methods exploration

Year: 2021
Name: Christopher Byrne
Institution: Trinity College Dublin
Thesis: An Investigation into the Leading Factors that Affect Teachers’ Decision-Making Towards Curricula Change in Irish Post- Primary Schools

Year: 2021
Name: Annette Forster
Institution: Technological University Dublin
Thesis: Factors Affecting the Progression of Access Students to Undergraduate Studies

Name: Eoghan Long
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: Retrieval Practice as a Teaching Method to Enhance Student Understanding

Name: Chelsea Love
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: The Teaching of Geometry: The influence of a Transition Year (TY) intervention on teachers’ perspectives and self-efficacy in teaching spatial reasoning through geometry.

Name: Duncan McCarthy
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: Listening as a Leadership Practice among Primary School Principals

Name: Coran Swayne
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: Leading Coaching Cultures in Primary School: Policy and Practice

Name: Nuala Glanton
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: What is FET for? A critical exploration of the history, policy and lived experience of Adult and Further Education and Training in Ireland to identify its purpose and key values

Name: Seamus Ryan
Institution: University College Cork
Thesis: To Develop and Critically Evaluate a Blended Learning Module for Business Mathematics and Statistics in the Institute of Technology Sector

Name: Lauren Matthews
Institution: Technological University Dublin
Thesis: Enablers and Barriers: An investigation into students’ thoughts when engaging with procedural and problem-solving tasks in mathematics

Mark has a long-standing interest and passion for teaching and this is demonstrated by his foremost chosen career as a secondary school teacher and subsequent decision to pursue a PhD with a focus on effective teaching.

He has a wide variety of teaching experiences which have differed in terms of class sizes and students from different levels, abilities and cultures (primary, secondary and tertiary level, students with ID, Access and International students).