Abstract
The chapter summarises three sources of research presented in the chapters of the book: the secondary analysis of international comparison research TIMSS 2007, realisation of clinical interviews with experienced teachers of primary school with the goal to find out which areas of primary mathematics they consider to be critical for their pupils, quantitative online survey for primary school teachers with the goal to verify results from the interviews with teachers. Next, the methodology of research presented in further chapters of the book is given: the goal of research (to identify the nature of Czech pupils' difficulties in critical areas of school mathematics) and research methods (clinical interviews with pupils when solving mathematical problems).
Two research questions are presented and the choice of topics and creation of diagnostic tasks are described. It is shown how the selection of pupils and collection of data were done.
The analysis of data is briefly outlined which is further developed in the chapters of the book. Finally, the structure of the book is presented and some limitations of research enumerated.