topics for research in mathematics education

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Mathematics Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Rigorous Verification of Stability of Ideal Gas Layers , Damian Anderson

Documentation of Norm Negotiation in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom , Michelle R. Bagley

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, and Resources that Influence Implementation of Principles Learned in Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program , Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Impact of Applying Visual Design Principles to Boardwork in a Mathematics Classroom , Jennifer Rose Canizales

Practicing Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives of Public Records in Their Classrooms , Sini Nicole White Graff

Parents' Perceptions of the Importance of Teaching Mathematics: A Q-Study , Ashlynn M. Holley

Engagement in Secondary Mathematics Group Work: A Student Perspective , Rachel H. Jorgenson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Understanding College Students' Use of Written Feedback in Mathematics , Erin Loraine Carroll

Identity Work to Teach Mathematics for Social Justice , Navy B. Dixon

Developing a Quantitative Understanding of U-Substitution in First-Semester Calculus , Leilani Camille Heaton Fonbuena

The Perception of At-Risk Students on Caring Student-Teacher Relationships and Its Impact on Their Productive Disposition , Brittany Hopper

Variational and Covariational Reasoning of Students with Disabilities , Lauren Rigby

Structural Reasoning with Rational Expressions , Dana Steinhorst

Student-Created Learning Objects for Mathematics Renewable Assignments: The Potential Value They Bring to the Broader Community , Webster Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Emotional Geographies of Beginning and Veteran Reformed Teachers in Mentor/Mentee Relationships , Emily Joan Adams

You Do Math Like a Girl: How Women Reason Mathematically Outside of Formal and School Mathematics Contexts , Katelyn C. Pyfer

Developing the Definite Integral and Accumulation Function Through Adding Up Pieces: A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory , Brinley Nichole Stevens

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Mathematical Identities of Students with Mathematics Learning Dis/abilities , Emma Lynn Holdaway

Teachers' Mathematical Meanings: Decisions for Teaching Geometric Reflections and Orientation of Figures , Porter Peterson Nielsen

Student Use of Mathematical Content Knowledge During Proof Production , Chelsey Lynn Van de Merwe

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Making Sense of the Equal Sign in Middle School Mathematics , Chelsea Lynn Dickson

Developing Understanding of the Chain Rule, Implicit Differentiation, and Related Rates: Towards a Hypothetical Learning Trajectory Rooted in Nested Multivariation , Haley Paige Jeppson

Secondary Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Curricular Reasoning , Kimber Anne Mathis

“Don’t Say Gay. We Say Dumb or Stupid”: Queering ProspectiveMathematics Teachers’ Discussions , Amy Saunders Ross

Aspects of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' Perspectives , Tamara Kay Stark

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions About Confidence Intervals , Kiya Lynn Eliason

How Teacher Questions Affect the Development of a Potential Hybrid Space in a Classroom with Latina/o Students , Casandra Helen Job

Teacher Graphing Practices for Linear Functions in a Covariation-Based College Algebra Classroom , Konda Jo Luckau

Principles of Productivity Revealed from Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Discussions Around the Productiveness of Teacher Moves in Response to Teachable Moments , Kylie Victoria Palsky

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Curriculum Decisions and Reasoning of Middle School Teachers , Anand Mikel Bernard

Teacher Response to Instances of Student Thinking During Whole Class Discussion , Rachel Marie Bernard

Kyozaikenkyu: An In-Depth Look into Japanese Educators' Daily Planning Practices , Matthew David Melville

Analysis of Differential Equations Applications from the Coordination Class Perspective , Omar Antonio Naranjo Mayorga

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Principles of Effective Teaching Student Teachershave the Opportunity to Learn in an AlternativeStudent Teaching Structure , Danielle Rose Divis

Insight into Student Conceptions of Proof , Steven Daniel Lauzon

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Teacher Participation and Motivation inProfessional Development , Krystal A. Hill

Student Evaluation of Mathematical Explanations in anInquiry-Based Mathematics Classroom , Ashley Burgess Hulet

English Learners' Participation in Mathematical Discourse , Lindsay Marie Merrill

Mathematical Interactions between Teachers and Students in the Finnish Mathematics Classroom , Paula Jeffery Prestwich

Parents and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics , Rebecca Anne Roberts

Examining the Effects of College Algebra on Students' Mathematical Dispositions , Kevin Lee Watson

Problems Faced by Reform Oriented Novice Mathematics Teachers Utilizing a Traditional Curriculum , Tyler Joseph Winiecke

Academic and Peer Status in the Mathematical Life Stories of Students , Carol Ann Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Effect of Students' Mathematical Beliefs on Knowledge Transfer , Kristen Adams

Language Use in Mathematics Textbooks Written in English and Spanish , Kailie Ann Bertoch

Teachers' Curricular Reasoning and MKT in the Context of Algebra and Statistics , Kolby J. Gadd

Mathematical Telling in the Context of Teacher Interventions with Collaborative Groups , Brandon Kyle Singleton

An Investigation of How Preservice Teachers Design Mathematical Tasks , Elizabeth Karen Zwahlen

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Student Understanding of Limit and Continuity at a Point: A Look into Four Potentially Problematic Conceptions , Miriam Lynne Amatangelo

Exploring the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching of Japanese Teachers , Ratu Jared R. T. Bukarau

Comparing Two Different Student Teaching Structures by Analyzing Conversations Between Student Teachers and Their Cooperating Teachers , Niccole Suzette Franc

Professional Development as a Community of Practice and Its Associated Influence on the Induction of a Beginning Mathematics Teacher , Savannah O. Steele

Types of Questions that Comprise a Teacher's Questioning Discourse in a Conceptually-Oriented Classroom , Keilani Stolk

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Student Teachers' Interactive Decisions with Respect to Student Mathematics Thinking , Jonathan J. Call

Manipulatives and the Growth of Mathematical Understanding , Stacie Joyce Gibbons

Learning Within a Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects on Multiplication Math Fact Mastery and Self-Efficacy in Elementary-Age Students , Loraine Jones Hanson

Mathematics Teacher Time Allocation , Ashley Martin Jones

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

How Student Positioning Can Lead to Failure in Inquiry-based Classrooms , Kelly Beatrice Campbell

Teachers' Decisions to Use Student Input During Class Discussion , Heather Taylor Toponce

A Conceptual Framework for Student Understanding of Logarithms , Heather Rebecca Ambler Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Growth in Students' Conceptions of Mathematical Induction , John David Gruver

Contextualized Motivation Theory (CMT): Intellectual Passion, Mathematical Need, Social Responsibility, and Personal Agency in Learning Mathematics , Janelle Marie Hart

Thinking on the Brink: Facilitating Student Teachers' Learning Through In-the-Moment Interjections , Travis L. Lemon

Understanding Teachers' Change Towards a Reform-Oriented Mathematics Classroom , Linnae Denise Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

A Comparison of Mathematical Discourse in Online and Face-to-Face Environments , Shawn D. Broderick

The Influence of Risk Taking on Student Creation of Mathematical Meaning: Contextual Risk Theory , Erin Nicole Houghtaling

Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study of the Transformations Made by one Teacher in a Mathematics Professional Development Program , Rachelle Myler Orsak

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Student Teacher Knowledge and Its Impact on Task Design , Tenille Cannon

How Eighth-Grade Students Estimate with Fractions , Audrey Linford Hanks

Similar but Different: The Complexities of Students' Mathematical Identities , Diane Skillicorn Hill

Choose Your Words: Refining What Counts as Mathematical Discourse in Students' Negotiation of Meaning for Rate of Change of Volume , Christine Johnson

Mathematics Student Teaching in Japan: A Multi-Case Study , Allison Turley Shwalb

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Applying Toulmin's Argumentation Framework to Explanations in a Reform Oriented Mathematics Class , Jennifer Alder Brinkerhoff

What Are Some of the Common Traits in the Thought Processes of Undergraduate Students Capable of Creating Proof? , Karen Malina Duff

Probing for Reasons: Presentations, Questions, Phases , Kellyn Nicole Farlow

One Problem, Two Contexts , Danielle L. Gigger

The Main Challenges that a Teacher-in-Transition Faces When Teaching a High School Geometry Class , Greg Brough Henry

Discovering the Derivative Can Be "Invigorating:" Mark's Journey to Understanding Instantaneous Velocity , Charity Ann Gardner Hyer

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

How a Master Teacher Uses Questioning Within a Mathematical Discourse Community , Omel Angel Contreras

Determining High School Geometry Students' Geometric Understanding Using van Hiele Levels: Is There a Difference Between Standards-based Curriculum Students and NonStandards-based Curriculum Students? , Rebekah Loraine Genz

The Nature and Frequency of Mathematical Discussion During Lesson Study That Implemented the CMI Framework , Andrew Ray Glaze

Second Graders' Solution Strategies and Understanding of a Combination Problem , Tiffany Marie Hessing

What Does It Mean To Preservice Mathematics Teachers To Anticipate Student Responses? , Matthew M. Webb

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Fraction Multiplication and Division Image Change in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers , Jennifer J. Cluff

An Examination of the Role of Writing in Mathematics Instruction , Amy Jeppsen

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Reasoning About Motion: A Case Study , Tiffini Lynn Glaze

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

An Analysis of the Influence of Lesson Study on Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers' View of Self-As Mathematics Expert , Julie Stafford

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Theses and Dissertations (Mathematics Education)

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• The effect of problem-solving teaching approach on learning fractions in Grade 8  Agadagba, Oghenerukewe Emmanuel ( 2024 ) Problem-solving teaching approach is critical in improving learners’ cognition and problem-solving skills in different content areas in mathematics. Therefore, this quantitative study evaluated the effect of the problem-solving ...
• The challenges faced by Grade 7 Mathematics teachers in integrating digital technologies to teach data handling  Paulus, Johannes Natangwe ( 2023-12 ) This study explored the challenges faced by mathematics teachers in integrating digital technologies in teaching Data handling in Grade 7 in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. In this digital era, it is crucial for teachers to ...
• Exploring the TVET college lecturers’ perspectives on the usage of problem-centred teaching in level 4 Calculus  Ndlovu, Jesca ( 2023-12 ) This study explored the perspectives of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college lecturers on the usage of problem-based learning as a teaching method in teaching level 4 Calculus. Achievement in ...
• Exploring Grade 10 teachers’ mathematical discourses during Euclidean geometry lessons in Johannesburg East District, South Africa  Kyabuntu, Kambila Joxe ( 2023-11-29 ) The current study sought to investigate the mathematical discourses used by Grade 10 teachers during Euclidean geometry lessons. To explore and understand teachers’ classroom discourses during Euclidean geometry lessons, ...
• Industrial mathematics curriculum development for Ethiopian Science and Technology universities  Zewdie Woldeamanuel Habte ( 2023-09 ) This study aimed to examine the development and implementation of the new industrial mathematics curriculum for Ethiopian Science and Technology universities. Ethiopia is in the process of transforming to industry led ...
• The impact of 8Ps learning model on the mathematical problem-solving performance of grade 12 learners in the concept of stationary points in differential calculus  Omoniyi, Adebayo Akinyinka ( 2022-11-11 ) Noting the centrality of problem solving to Mathematics and its capability to enhance learner performance in the subject, the study measured the impact of the use of 8Ps learning model on the mathematical problem-solving ...
• Enhancing mathematics teachers' professional development for creative teaching in Addis Ababa secondary schools  Anwar Seid Al-amin ( 2023-09-25 ) The Ethiopian education system is imported from the West, and the traditional method of instruction (pouring information) in the ICT revolution era wastes time and resources. Learners can get more information about mathematics ...
• Grade 9 mathematics teachers’ strategies to address mathematical proficiency in their teaching of linear equations : a case of selected schools in Gauteng North District  Mothudi, Teresa Ntsae ( 2022-12-10 ) The purpose of this research was to look into Grade 9 mathematics teachers’ strategies to address mathematical proficiency in their teaching of linear equations. The study was intrigued by the performance of learners in ...
• Grade 6 mathematics teachers’ development of learner mathematical proficiency in addition and subtraction of common fractions, in the Tshwane South District of Gauteng  Lendis, Ashley Pearl ( 2022-11-30 ) The study was motivated by the fact that learners are not performing well in the topic of fractions due to the lack of conceptual understanding of the concept. The purpose of this qualitative study based on an interpretive ...
• The performance and learning difficulties of Grade 10 learners in solving euclidean geometry problems in Tshwane West District  Olabode, Adedayo Abosede ( 2023-01-31 ) There is a growing trend of declining performance in the final year (Grade 12) mathematics examinations in the South African public school system. The study aimed to evaluate Grade 10 learners in the Tshwane West District ...
• A collaborative model for teaching and learning mathematics in secondary schools  Ngwenya, Vusani ( 2021-11 ) Mathematics pass rates in South African schools, as in many developing nations, continue to be a source of concern for educators and policymakers alike. Improving mathematics performance is non-negotiable if Africa is to ...
• Teachers improvement of mathematics achievements in rural schools of Mopani District : implications for professional development  Sambo, Sosa Isaac ( 2023-01-01 ) Throughout the globe, there is an outcry that learners’ performance in mathematics is below the expected standard. Hence, teachers need teacher development to improve their skills and knowledge in the subject. The purpose ...
• Grade 10 learners’ academic experiences of learning parabolic functions in schools of Vhembe district of Limpopo Province  Mudau, Takalani Lesley ( 2022-11-22 ) The objective of this study was to determine Grade 10 learners' academic performance in learning parabola functions. Furthermore, the study sought to unearth errors that learners make when learning parabola functions and ...
• An exploration of learning difficulties experienced by grade 12 learners in euclidean geometry : a case of Ngaka Modiri Molema district  Mudhefi, Fungirai ( 2022-08-20 ) The purpose of this study was to investigate the learning difficulties experienced by Grade 12 learners in Euclidean geometry. Despite the efforts exerted in terms of time, material and human resources in the teaching and ...
• The relationship between anxiety, working memory and achievement in mathematics in grade 5 learners : a case study of Tshepisong schools  Mnguni, Maria Tebogo ( 2022-01-21 ) This study investigated the relationship between anxiety, working memory and achievement in mathematics in grade 5 learners at Tshepisong schools. A sample of 300 grade 5 learners from Tshepisong schools was selected using ...
• The effects of using a graphic calculator as a cognitive tool in learning grade 10 data handling  Rambao, Mpho ( 2022-09 ) The integration of technology in the mathematics classroom is believed to have an influence on how the learners learn and change their perception of mathematics. Therefore, technology tools are developed to enhance the ...
• Integration of ethnomathematics in the teaching of probability in secondary school mathematics in Zimbabwe  Turugari, Munamato ( 2022-06 ) Underpinned by the social constructivism theory and the praxis of integrating ethnomathematics in the teaching of probability, this PAR developed a policy framework for facilitating the integration of ethno-mathematics in ...
• Evaluating Grade 10 learners’ change in understanding of similar triangles following a classroom intervention  Maweya, Amokelo Given ( 2022 ) Geometry, in particular Euclidean geometry, has been highlighted as a subject in mathematics that presents a variety of challenges to many secondary school learners. Many students struggle to gain appropriate knowledge of ...
• The impact of technology integration in teaching grade 11 Euclidean geometry based on van Hiele’s model  Bediako, Adjei ( 2021-10-10 ) This quantitative study reports on the impact of using GeoGebra software to teach Grade 11 geometry through van Hieles’ levels theory, merged with some elements of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework. ...
• A framework towards improved instruction of probability to grade seven students : a case of South African schools in Mpumalanga province  Kodisang, Sophy Mamanyena ( 2022-02-03 ) This empirical phenomenological study explored teachers’ conceptual understanding of probability to gain insights into how this understanding enhanced their instructional classroom practice. The study was motivated by the ...

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Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Dissertation, Thesis Or Research Project

I f you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

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Future themes of mathematics education research: an international survey before and during the pandemic

Arthur bakker, linda zenger.

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Accepted 2021 Mar 4; Issue date 2021.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Before the pandemic (2019), we asked: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade? The 229 responses from 44 countries led to eight themes plus considerations about mathematics education research itself. The themes can be summarized as teaching approaches, goals, relations to practices outside mathematics education, teacher professional development, technology, affect, equity, and assessment. During the pandemic (November 2020), we asked respondents: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how? Many of the 108 respondents saw the importance of their original themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), and/or added themes (35) (these categories were not mutually exclusive). Overall, they seemed to agree that the pandemic functions as a magnifying glass on issues that were already known, and several respondents pointed to the need to think ahead on how to organize education when it does not need to be online anymore. We end with a list of research challenges that are informed by the themes and respondents’ reflections on mathematics education research.

Keywords: COVID-19, Grand challenges, Pandemic, Mathematics education research, Research agenda

An international survey in two rounds

Around the time when Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) and the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) were celebrating their 50th anniversaries, Arthur Bakker (editor of ESM) and Jinfa Cai (editor of JRME) saw a need to raise the following future-oriented question for the field of mathematics education research:

Q2019: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade?

To that end, we administered a survey with just this one question between June 17 and October 16, 2019.

When we were almost ready with the analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and we were not able to present the results at the conferences we had planned to attend (NCTM and ICME in 2020). Moreover, with the world shaken up by the crisis, we wondered if colleagues in our field might think differently about the themes formulated for the future due to the pandemic. Hence, on November 26, 2020, we asked a follow-up question to those respondents who in 2019 had given us permission to approach them for elaboration by email:

Q2020: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?

In this paper, we summarize the responses to these two questions. Similar to Sfard’s ( 2005 ) approach, we start by synthesizing the voices of the respondents before formulating our own views. Some colleagues put forward the idea of formulating a list of key themes or questions, similar to the 23 unsolved mathematical problems that David Hilbert published around 1900 (cf. Schoenfeld, 1999 ). However, mathematics and mathematics education are very different disciplines, and very few people share Hilbert’s formalist view on mathematics; hence, we do not want to suggest that we could capture the key themes of mathematics education in a similar way. Rather, our overview of themes drawn from the survey responses is intended to summarize what is valued in our global community at the time of the surveys. Reasoning from these themes, we end with a list of research challenges that we see worth addressing in the future (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ).

Methodological approach

Themes for the coming decade (2019).

We administered the 1-question survey through email lists that we were aware of (e.g., Becker, ICME, PME) and asked mathematics education researchers to spread it in their national networks. By October 16, 2019, we had received 229 responses from 44 countries across 6 continents (Table 1 ). Although we were happy with the larger response than Sfard ( 2005 ) received (74, with 28 from Europe), we do not know how well we have reached particular regions, and if potential respondents might have faced language or other barriers. We did offer a few Chinese respondents the option to write in Chinese because the second author offered to translate their emails into English. We also received responses in Spanish, which were translated for us.

Numbers of responses per continent (2019)

Note : When a respondent filled in two countries on two continents, we attributed half to one and the other half to the other continent

Ethical approval was given by the Ethical Review Board of the Faculties of Science and Geo-science of Utrecht University (Bèta L-19247). We asked respondents to indicate if they were willing to be quoted by name and if we were allowed to approach them for subsequent information. If they preferred to be named, we mention their name and country; otherwise, we write “anonymous.” In our selection of quotes, we have focused on content, not on where the response came from. On March 2, 2021, we approached all respondents who were quoted to double-check if they agreed to be quoted and named. One colleague preferred the quote and name to be deleted; three suggested small changes in wording; the others approved.

On September 20, 2019, the three authors met physically at Utrecht University to analyze the responses. After each individual proposal, we settled on a joint list of seven main themes (the first seven in Table 2 ), which were neither mutually exclusive nor exhaustive. The third author (Zenger, then still a student in educational science) next color coded all parts of responses belonging to a category. These formed the basis for the frequencies and percentages presented in the tables and text. The first author (Bakker) then read all responses categorized by a particular code to identify and synthesize the main topics addressed within each code. The second author (Cai) read all of the survey responses and the response categories, and commented. After the initial round of analysis, we realized it was useful to add an eighth theme: assessment (including evaluation).

Percentages of responses mentioned in each theme (2019)

Note. Percentages do not add up to 100, because many respondents mentioned multiple themes

Moreover, given that a large number of respondents made comments about mathematics education research itself, we decided to summarize these separately. For analyzing this category of research, we used the following four labels to distinguish types of comments on our discipline of mathematics education research: theory, methodology, self-reflection (including ethical considerations), interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. We then summarized the responses per type of comment.

It has been a daunting and humbling experience to study the huge coverage and diversity of topics that our colleagues care about. Any categorization felt like a reduction of the wealth of ideas, and we are aware of the risks of “sorting things out” (Bowker & Star, 2000 ), which come with foregrounding particular challenges rather than others (Stephan et al., 2015 ). Yet the best way to summarize the bigger picture seemed by means of clustering themes and pointing to their relationships. As we identified these eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, a recurring question during the analysis was how to represent them. A list such as Table 2 does not do justice to the interrelations between the themes. Some relationships are very clear, for example, educational approaches (theme 2) working toward educational or societal goals (theme 1). Some themes are pervasive; for example, equity and (positive) affect are both things that educators want to achieve but also phenomena that are at stake during every single moment of learning and teaching. Diagrams we considered to represent such interrelationships were either too specific (limiting the many relevant options, e.g., a star with eight vertices that only link pairs of themes) or not specific enough (e.g., a Venn diagram with eight leaves such as the iPhone symbol for photos). In the end, we decided to use an image and collaborated with Elisabeth Angerer (student assistant in an educational sciences program), who eventually made the drawing in Fig. 1 to capture themes in their relationships.

Artistic impression of the future themes

Has the pandemic changed your view? (2020)

On November 26, 2020, we sent an email to the colleagues who responded to the initial question and who gave permission to be approached by email. We cited their initial response and asked: “Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?” We received 108 responses by January 12, 2021. The countries from which the responses came included China, Italy, and other places that were hit early by the COVID-19 virus. The length of responses varied from a single word response (“no”) to elaborate texts of up to 2215 words. Some people attached relevant publications. The median length of the responses was 87 words, with a mean length of 148 words and SD = 242. Zenger and Bakker classified them as “no changes” (9 responses) or “clearly different views” (8); the rest of the responses saw the importance of their initial themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), or added new questions or themes (35). These last categories were not mutually exclusive, because respondents could first state that they thought the initial themes were even more relevant than before and provide additional, more specified themes. We then used the same themes that had been identified in the first round and identified what was stressed or added in the 2020 responses.

The most frequently mentioned theme was what we labeled approaches to teaching (64% of the respondents, see Table 2 ). Next was the theme of goals of mathematics education on which research should shed more light in the coming decade (54%). These goals ranged from specific educational goals to very broad societal ones. Many colleagues referred to mathematics education’s relationships with other practices (communities, institutions…) such as home, continuing education, and work. Teacher professional development is a key area for research in which the other themes return (what should students learn, how, how to assess that, how to use technology and ensure that students are interested?). Technology constitutes its own theme but also plays a key role in many other themes, just like affect. Another theme permeating other ones is what can be summarized as equity, diversity, and inclusion (also social justice, anti-racism, democratic values, and several other values were mentioned). These values are not just societal and educational goals but also drivers for redesigning teaching approaches, using technology, working on more just assessment, and helping learners gain access, become confident, develop interest, or even love for mathematics. To evaluate if approaches are successful and if goals have been achieved, assessment (including evaluation) is also mentioned as a key topic of research.

In the 2020 responses, many wise and general remarks were made. The general gist is that the pandemic (like earlier crises such as the economic crisis around 2008–2010) functioned as a magnifying glass on themes that were already considered important. Due to the pandemic, however, systemic societal and educational problems were said to have become better visible to a wider community, and urge us to think about the potential of a “new normal.”

Approaches to teaching

We distinguish specific teaching strategies from broader curricular topics.

Teaching strategies

There is a widely recognized need to further design and evaluate various teaching approaches. Among the teaching strategies and types of learning to be promoted that were mentioned in the survey responses are collaborative learning, critical mathematics education, dialogic teaching, modeling, personalized learning, problem-based learning, cross-curricular themes addressing the bigger themes in the world, embodied design, visualization, and interleaved learning. Note, however, that students can also enhance their mathematical knowledge independently from teachers or parents through web tutorials and YouTube videos.

Many respondents emphasized that teaching approaches should do more than promote cognitive development. How can teaching be entertaining or engaging? How can it contribute to the broader educational goals of developing students’ identity, contribute to their empowerment, and help them see the value of mathematics in their everyday life and work? We return to affect in Section 3.7 .

In the 2020 responses, we saw more emphasis on approaches that address modeling, critical thinking, and mathematical or statistical literacy. Moreover, respondents stressed the importance of promoting interaction, collaboration, and higher order thinking, which are generally considered to be more challenging in distance education. One approach worth highlighting is challenge-based education (cf. Johnson et al. 2009 ), because it takes big societal challenges as mentioned in the previous section as its motivation and orientation.

Approaches by which mathematics education can contribute to the aforementioned goals can be distinguished at various levels. Several respondents mentioned challenges around developing a coherent mathematics curriculum, smoothing transitions to higher school levels, and balancing topics, and also the typical overload of topics, the influence of assessment on what is taught, and what teachers can teach. For example, it was mentioned that mathematics teachers are often not prepared to teach statistics. There seems to be little research that helps curriculum authors tackle some of these hard questions as well as how to monitor reform (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 ). Textbook analysis is mentioned as a necessary research endeavor. But even if curricula within one educational system are reasonably coherent, how can continuity between educational systems be ensured (cf. Jansen et al., 2012 )?

In the 2020 responses, some respondents called for free high-quality curriculum resources. In several countries where Internet access is a problem in rural areas, a shift can be observed from online resources to other types of media such as radio and TV.

Goals of mathematics education

The theme of approaches is closely linked to that of the theme of goals. For example, as Fulvia Furinghetti (Italy) wrote: “It is widely recognized that critical thinking is a fundamental goal in math teaching. Nevertheless it is still not clear how it is pursued in practice.” We distinguish broad societal and more specific educational goals. These are often related, as Jane Watson (Australia) wrote: “If Education is to solve the social, cultural, economic, and environmental problems of today’s data-driven world, attention must be given to preparing students to interpret the data that are presented to them in these fields.”

Societal goals

Respondents alluded to the need for students to learn to function in the economy and in society more broadly. Apart from instrumental goals of mathematics education, some emphasized goals related to developing as a human being, for instance learning to see the mathematics in the world and develop a relation with the world. Mathematics education in these views should empower students to combat anti-expertise and post-fact tendencies. Several respondents mentioned even larger societal goals such as avoiding extinction as a human species and toxic nationalism, resolving climate change, and building a sustainable future.

In the second round of responses (2020), we saw much more emphasis on these bigger societal issues. The urgency to orient mathematics education (and its research) toward resolving these seemed to be felt more than before. In short, it was stressed that our planet needs to be saved. The big question is what role mathematics education can play in meeting these challenges.

Educational goals

Several respondents expressed a concern that the current goals of mathematics education do not reflect humanity’s and societies’ needs and interests well. Educational goals to be stressed more were mathematical literacy, numeracy, critical, and creative thinking—often with reference to the changing world and the planet being at risk. In particular, the impact of technology was frequently stressed, as this may have an impact on what people need to learn (cf. Gravemeijer et al., 2017 ). If computers can do particular things much better than people, what is it that students need to learn?

Among the most frequently mentioned educational goals for mathematics education were statistical literacy, computational and algorithmic thinking, artificial intelligence, modeling, and data science. More generally, respondents expressed that mathematics education should help learners deploy evidence, reasoning, argumentation, and proof. For example, Michelle Stephan (USA) asked:

What mathematics content should be taught today to prepare students for jobs of the future, especially given growth of the digital world and its impact on a global economy? All of the mathematics content in K-12 can be accomplished by computers, so what mathematical procedures become less important and what domains need to be explored more fully (e.g., statistics and big data, spatial geometry, functional reasoning, etc.)?

One challenge for research is that there is no clear methodology to arrive at relevant and feasible learning goals. Yet there is a need to choose and formulate such goals on the basis of research (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ).

Several of the 2020 responses mentioned the sometimes problematic way in which numbers, data, and graphs are used in the public sphere (e.g., Ernest, 2020 ; Kwon et al., 2021 ; Yoon et al., 2021 ). Many respondents saw their emphasis on relevant educational goals reinforced, for example, statistical and data literacy, modeling, critical thinking, and public communication. A few pandemic-specific topics were mentioned, such as exponential growth.

Relation of mathematics education to other practices

Many responses can be characterized as highlighting boundary crossing (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011 ) with disciplines or communities outside mathematics education, such as in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics education (STEM or STEAM); parents or families; the workplace; and leisure (e.g., drama, music, sports). An interesting example was the educational potential of mathematical memes—“humorous digital objects created by web users copying an existing image and overlaying a personal caption” (Bini et al., 2020 , p. 2). These boundary crossing-related responses thus emphasize the movements and connections between mathematics education and other practices.

In the 2020 responses, we saw that during the pandemic, the relationship between school and home has become much more important, because most students were (and perhaps still are) learning at home. Earlier research on parental involvement and homework (Civil & Bernier, 2006 ; de Abreu et al., 2006 ; Jackson, 2011 ) proves relevant in the current situation where many countries are still or again in lockdown. Respondents pointed to the need to monitor students and their work and to promote self-regulation. They also put more stress on the political, economic, and financial contexts in which mathematics education functions (or malfunctions, in many respondents’ views).

Teacher professional development

Respondents explicitly mentioned teacher professional development as an important domain of mathematics education research (including teacher educators’ development). For example, Loide Kapenda (Namibia) wrote, “I am supporting UNESCO whose idea is to focus on how we prepare teachers for the future we want.” (e.g., UNESCO, 2015 ) And, Francisco Rojas (Chile) wrote:

Although the field of mathematics education is broad and each time faced with new challenges (socio-political demands, new intercultural contexts, digital environments, etc.), all of them will be handled at school by the mathematics teacher, both in primary as well as in secondary education. Therefore, from my point of view, pre-service teacher education is one of the most relevant fields of research for the next decade, especially in developing countries.

It is evident from the responses that teaching mathematics is done by a large variety of people, not only by people who are trained as primary school teachers, secondary school mathematics teachers, or mathematicians but also parents, out-of-field teachers, and scientists whose primary discipline is not mathematics but who do use mathematics or statistics. How teachers of mathematics are trained varies accordingly. Respondents frequently pointed to the importance of subject-matter knowledge and particularly noted that many teachers seem ill-prepared to teach statistics (e.g., Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands).

Key questions were raised by several colleagues: “How to train mathematics teachers with a solid foundation in mathematics, positive attitudes towards mathematics teaching and learning, and wide knowledge base linking to STEM?” (anonymous); “What professional development, particularly at the post-secondary level, motivates changes in teaching practices in order to provide students the opportunities to engage with mathematics and be successful?” (Laura Watkins, USA); “How can mathematics educators equip students for sustainable, equitable citizenship? And how can mathematics education equip teachers to support students in this?” (David Wagner, Canada)

In the 2020 responses, it was clear that teachers are incredibly important, especially in the pandemic era. The sudden change to online teaching means that

higher requirements are put forward for teachers’ educational and teaching ability, especially the ability to carry out education and teaching by using information technology should be strengthened. Secondly, teachers’ ability to communicate and cooperate has been injected with new connotation. (Guangming Wang, China)

It is broadly assumed that education will stay partly online, though more so in higher levels of education than in primary education. This has implications for teachers, for instance, they will have to think through how they intend to coordinate teaching on location and online. Hence, one important focus for professional development is the use of technology.

Technology deserves to be called a theme in itself, but we want to emphasize that it ran through most of the other themes. First of all, some respondents argued that, due to technological advances in society, the societal and educational goals of mathematics education need to be changed (e.g., computational thinking to ensure employability in a technological society). Second, responses indicated that the changed goals have implications for the approaches in mathematics education. Consider the required curriculum reform and the digital tools to be used in it. Students do not only need to learn to use technology; the technology can also be used to learn mathematics (e.g., visualization, embodied design, statistical thinking). New technologies such as 3D printing, photo math, and augmented and virtual reality offer new opportunities for learning. Society has changed very fast in this respect. Third, technology is suggested to assist in establishing connections with other practices , such as between school and home, or vocational education and work, even though there is a great disparity in how successful these connections are.

In the 2020 responses, there was great concern about the current digital divide (cf. Hodgen et al., 2020 ). The COVID-19 pandemic has thus given cause for mathematics education research to understand better how connections across educational and other practices can be improved with the help of technology. Given the unequal distribution of help by parents or guardians, it becomes all the more important to think through how teachers can use videos and quizzes, how they can monitor their students, how they can assess them (while respecting privacy), and how one can compensate for the lack of social, gestural, and embodied interaction that is possible when being together physically.

Where mobile technology was considered very innovative before 2010, smartphones have become central devices in mathematics education in the pandemic with its reliance on distance learning. Our direct experience showed that phone applications such as WhatsApp and WeChat have become key tools in teaching and learning mathematics in many rural areas in various continents where few people have computers (for a report on podcasts distributed through WhatsApp, community loudspeakers, and local radio stations in Colombia, see Saenz et al., 2020 ).

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

Another cross-cutting theme can be labeled “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” We use this triplet to cover any topic that highlights these and related human values such as equality, social and racial justice, social emancipation, and democracy that were also mentioned by respondents (cf. Dobie & Sherin, 2021 ). In terms of educational goals , many respondents stressed that mathematics education should be for all students, including those who have special needs, who live in poverty, who are learning the instruction language, who have a migration background, who consider themselves LGBTQ+, have a traumatic or violent history, or are in whatever way marginalized. There is broad consensus that everyone should have access to high-quality mathematics education. However, as Niral Shah (USA) notes, less attention has been paid to “how phenomena related to social markers (e.g., race, class, gender) interact with phenomena related to the teaching and learning of mathematical content.”

In terms of teaching approaches , mathematics education is characterized by some respondents from particular countries as predominantly a white space where some groups feel or are excluded (cf. Battey, 2013 ). There is a general concern that current practices of teaching mathematics may perpetuate inequality, in particular in the current pandemic. In terms of assessment , mathematics is too often used or experienced as a gatekeeper rather than as a powerful resource (cf. Martin et al., 2010 ). Steve Lerman (UK) “indicates that understanding how educational opportunities are distributed inequitably, and in particular how that manifests in each end every classroom, is a prerequisite to making changes that can make some impact on redistribution.” A key research aim therefore is to understand what excludes students from learning mathematics and what would make mathematics education more inclusive (cf. Roos, 2019 ). And, what does professional development of teachers that promotes equity look like?

In 2020, many respondents saw their emphasis on equity and related values reinforced in the current pandemic with its risks of a digital divide, unequal access to high-quality mathematics education, and unfair distribution of resources. A related future research theme is how the so-called widening achievement gaps can be remedied (cf. Bawa, 2020 ). However, warnings were also formulated that thinking in such deficit terms can perpetuate inequality (cf. Svensson et al., 2014 ). A question raised by Dor Abrahamson (USA) is, “What roles could digital technology play, and in what forms, in restoring justice and celebrating diversity?”

Though entangled with many other themes, affect is also worth highlighting as a theme in itself. We use the term affect in a very broad sense to point to psychological-social phenomena such as emotion, love, belief, attitudes, interest, curiosity, fun, engagement, joy, involvement, motivation, self-esteem, identity, anxiety, alienation, and feeling of safety (cf. Cobb et al., 2009 ; Darragh, 2016 ; Hannula, 2019 ; Schukajlow et al., 2017 ). Many respondents emphasized the importance of studying these constructs in relation to (and not separate from) what is characterized as cognition. Some respondents pointed out that affect is not just an individual but also a social phenomenon, just like learning (cf. Chronaki, 2019 ; de Freitas et al., 2019 ; Schindler & Bakker, 2020 ).

Among the educational goals of mathematics education, several participants mentioned the need to generate and foster interest in mathematics. In terms of approaches , much emphasis was put on the need to avoid anxiety and alienation and to engage students in mathematical activity.

In the 2020 responses, more emphasis was put on the concern about alienation, which seems to be of special concern when students are socially distanced from peers and teachers as to when teaching takes place only through technology . What was reiterated in the 2020 responses was the importance of students’ sense of belonging in a mathematics classroom (cf. Horn, 2017 )—a topic closely related to the theme of equity, diversity, and inclusion discussed before.

Assessment and evaluation were not often mentioned explicitly, but they do not seem less important than the other related themes. A key challenge is to assess what we value rather than valuing what we assess. In previous research, the assessment of individual students has received much attention, but what seems to be neglected is the evaluation of curricula. As Chongyang Wang (China) wrote, “How to evaluate the curriculum reforms. When we pay much energy in reforming our education and curriculum, do we imagine how to ensure it will work and there will be pieces of evidence found after the new curricula are carried out? How to prove the reforms work and matter?” (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 )

In the 2020 responses, there was an emphasis on assessment at a distance. Distance education generally is faced with the challenge of evaluating student work, both formatively and summatively. We predict that so-called e-assessment, along with its privacy challenges, will generate much research interest in the near future (cf. Bickerton & Sangwin, 2020 ).

Mathematics education research itself

Although we only asked for future themes, many respondents made interesting comments about research in mathematics education and its connections with other disciplines and practices (such as educational practice, policy, home settings). We have grouped these considerations under the subheadings of theory, methodology, reflection on our discipline, and interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. As with the previous categorization into themes, we stress that these four types are not mutually exclusive as theoretical and methodological considerations can be intricately intertwined (Radford, 2008 ).

Several respondents expressed their concern about the fragmentation and diversity of theories used in mathematics education research (cf. Bikner-Ahsbahs & Prediger, 2014 ). The question was raised how mathematics educators can “work together to obtain valid, reliable, replicable, and useful findings in our field” and “How, as a discipline, can we encourage sustained research on core questions using commensurable perspectives and methods?” (Keith Weber, USA). One wish was “comparing theoretical perspectives for explanatory power” (K. Subramaniam, India). At the same time, it was stressed that “we cannot continue to pretend that there is just one culture in the field of mathematics education, that all the theoretical framework may be applied in whichever culture and that results are universal” (Mariolina Bartolini Bussi, Italy). In addition, the wish was expressed to deepen theoretical notions such as numeracy, equity, and justice as they play out in mathematics education.

Methodology

Many methodological approaches were mentioned as potentially useful in mathematics education research: randomized studies, experimental studies, replication, case studies, and so forth. Particular attention was paid to “complementary methodologies that bridge the ‘gap’ between mathematics education research and research on mathematical cognition” (Christian Bokhove, UK), as, for example, done in Gilmore et al. ( 2018 ). Also, approaches were mentioned that intend to bridge the so-called gap between educational practice and research, such as lesson study and design research. For example, Kay Owens (Australia) pointed to the challenge of studying cultural context and identity: “Such research requires a multi-faceted research methodology that may need to be further teased out from our current qualitative (e.g., ethnographic) and quantitative approaches (‘paper and pencil’ (including computing) testing). Design research may provide further possibilities.”

Francisco Rojas (Chile) highlighted the need for more longitudinal and cross-sectional research, in particular in the context of teacher professional development:

It is not enough to investigate what happens in pre-service teacher education but understand what effects this training has in the first years of the professional career of the new teachers of mathematics, both in primary and secondary education. Therefore, increasingly more longitudinal and cross-sectional studies will be required to understand the complexity of the practice of mathematics teachers, how the professional knowledge that articulates the practice evolves, and what effects have the practice of teachers on the students’ learning of mathematics.

Reflection on our discipline

Calls were made for critical reflection on our discipline. One anonymous appeal was for more self-criticism and scientific modesty: Is research delivering, or is it drawing away good teachers from teaching? Do we do research primarily to help improve mathematics education or to better understand phenomena? (cf. Proulx & Maheux, 2019 ) The general gist of the responses was a sincere wish to be of value to the world and mathematics education more specifically and not only do “research for the sake of research” (Zahra Gooya, Iran). David Bowers (USA) expressed several reflection-inviting views about the nature of our discipline, for example:

We must normalize (and expect) the full taking up the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of all of our work (even work that is not considered “philosophical”). Not doing so leads to uncritical analysis and implications.

We must develop norms wherein it is considered embarrassing to do “uncritical” research.

There is no such thing as “neutral.” Amongst other things, this means that we should be cultivating norms that recognize the inherent political nature of all work, and norms that acknowledge how superficially “neutral” work tends to empower the oppressor.

We must recognize the existence of but not cater to the fragility of privilege.

In terms of what is studied, some respondents felt that the mathematics education research “literature has been moving away from the original goals of mathematics education. We seem to have been investigating everything but the actual learning of important mathematics topics.” (Lyn English, Australia) In terms of the nature of our discipline, Taro Fujita (UK) argued that our discipline can be characterized as a design science, with designing mathematical learning environments as the core of research activities (cf. Wittmann, 1995 ).

A tension that we observe in different views is the following: On the one hand, mathematics education research has its origin in helping teachers teach particular content better. The need for such so-called didactical, topic-specific research is not less important today but perhaps less fashionable for funding schemes that promote innovative, ground-breaking research. On the other hand, over time it has become clear that mathematics education is a multi-faceted socio-cultural and political endeavor under the influence of many local and global powers. It is therefore not surprising that the field of mathematics education research has expanded so as to include an increasingly wide scope of themes that are at stake, such as the marginalization of particular groups. We therefore highlight Niral Shah’s (USA) response that “historically, these domains of research [content-specific vs socio-political] have been decoupled. The field would get closer to understanding the experiences of minoritized students if we could connect these lines of inquiry.”

Another interesting reflective theme was raised by Nouzha El Yacoubi (Morocco): To what extent can we transpose “research questions from developed to developing countries”? As members of the plenary panel at PME 2019 (e.g., Kazima, 2019 ; Kim, 2019 ; Li, 2019 ) conveyed well, adopting interventions that were successful in one place in another place is far from trivial (cf. Gorard, 2020 ).

Juan L. Piñeiro (Spain in 2019, Chile in 2020) highlighted that “mathematical concepts and processes have different natures. Therefore, can it be characterized using the same theoretical and methodological tools?” More generally, one may ask if our theories and methodologies—often borrowed from other disciplines—are well suited to the ontology of our own discipline. A discussion started by Niss ( 2019 ) on the nature of our discipline, responded to by Bakker ( 2019 ) and Cai and Hwang ( 2019 ), seems worth continuing.

An important question raised in several comments is how close research should be to existing curricula. One respondent (Benjamin Rott, Germany) noted that research on problem posing often does “not fit into school curricula.” This makes the application of research ideas and findings problematic. However, one could argue that research need not always be tied to existing (local) educational contexts. It can also be inspirational, seeking principles of what is possible (and how) with a longer-term view on how curricula may change in the future. One option is, as Simon Zell (Germany) suggests, to test designs that cover a longer timeframe than typically done. Another way to bridge these two extremes is “collaboration between teachers and researchers in designing and publishing research” (K. Subramaniam, India) as is promoted by facilitating teachers to do PhD research (Bakx et al., 2016 ).

One of the responding teacher-researchers (Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands) expressed the wish that research would become available “in a more accessible form.” This wish raises the more general questions of whose responsibility it is to do such translation work and how to communicate with non-researchers. Do we need a particular type of communication research within mathematics education to learn how to convey particular key ideas or solid findings? (cf. Bosch et al., 2017 )

Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity

Many respondents mentioned disciplines which mathematics education research can learn from or should collaborate with (cf. Suazo-Flores et al., 2021 ). Examples are history, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, psychometry, pedagogy, educational science, value education (social, emotional), race theory, urban education, neuroscience/brain research, cognitive science, and computer science didactics. “A big challenge here is how to make diverse experts approach and talk to one another in a productive way.” (David Gómez, Chile)

One of the most frequently mentioned disciplines in relation to our field is history. It is a common complaint in, for instance, the history of medicine that historians accuse medical experts of not knowing historical research and that medical experts accuse historians of not understanding the medical discipline well enough (Beckers & Beckers, 2019 ). This tension raises the question who does and should do research into the history of mathematics or of mathematics education and to what broader purpose.

Some responses go beyond interdisciplinarity, because resolving the bigger issues such as climate change and a more equitable society require collaboration with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity). A typical example is the involvement of educational practice and policy when improving mathematics education (e.g., Potari et al., 2019 ).

Let us end this section with a word of hope, from an anonymous respondent: “I still believe (or hope?) that the pandemic, with this making-inequities-explicit, would help mathematics educators to look at persistent and systemic inequalities more consistently in the coming years.” Having learned so much in the past year could indeed provide an opportunity to establish a more equitable “new normal,” rather than a reversion to the old normal, which one reviewer worried about.

The themes in their coherence: an artistic impression

As described above, we identified eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, which we discussed one by one. The disadvantage of this list-wise discussion is that the entanglement of the themes is backgrounded. To compensate for that drawback, we here render a brief interpretation of the drawing of Fig. 1 . While doing so, we invite readers to use their own creative imagination and perhaps use the drawing for other purposes (e.g., ask researchers, students, or teachers: Where would you like to be in this landscape? What mathematical ideas do you spot?). The drawing mainly focuses on the themes that emerged from the first round of responses but also hints at experiences from the time of the pandemic, for instance distance education. In Appendix 1 , we specify more of the details in the drawing and we provide a link to an annotated image (available at https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937/ ).

The boat on the river aims to represent teaching approaches. The hand drawing of the boat hints at the importance of educational design: A particular approach is being worked out. On the boat, a teacher and students work together toward educational and societal goals, further down the river. The graduation bridge is an intermediate educational goal to pass, after which there are many paths leading to other goals such as higher education, citizenship, and work in society. Relations to practices outside mathematics education are also shown. In the left bottom corner, the house and parents working and playing with children represent the link of education with the home situation and leisure activity.

The teacher, represented by the captain in the foreground of the ship, is engaged in professional development, consulting a book, but also learning by doing (cf. Bakkenes et al., 2010 , on experimenting, using resources, etc.). Apart from graduation, there are other types of goals for teachers and students alike, such as equity, positive affect, and fluent use of technology. During their journey (and partially at home, shown in the left bottom corner), students learn to orient themselves in the world mathematically (e.g., fractal tree, elliptical lake, a parabolic mountain, and various platonic solids). On their way toward various goals, both teacher and students use particular technology (e.g., compass, binoculars, tablet, laptop). The magnifying glass (representing research) zooms in on a laptop screen that portrays distance education, hinting at the consensus that the pandemic magnifies some issues that education was already facing (e.g., the digital divide).

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are represented with the rainbow, overarching everything. On the boat, students are treated equally and the sailing practice is inclusive in the sense that all perform at their own level—getting the support they need while contributing meaningfully to the shared activity. This is at least what we read into the image. Affect is visible in various ways. First of all, the weather represents moods in general (rainy and dark side on the left; sunny bright side on the right). Second, the individual students (e.g., in the crow’s nest) are interested in, anxious about, and attentive to the things coming up during their journey. They are motivated to engage in all kinds of tasks (handling the sails, playing a game of chance with a die, standing guard in the crow’s nest, etc.). On the bridge, the graduates’ pride and happiness hints at positive affect as an educational goal but also represents the exam part of the assessment. The assessment also happens in terms of checks and feedback on the boat. The two people next to the house (one with a camera, one measuring) can be seen as assessors or researchers observing and evaluating the progress on the ship or the ship’s progress.

More generally, the three types of boats in the drawing represent three different spaces, which Hannah Arendt ( 1958 ) would characterize as private (paper-folded boat near the boy and a small toy boat next to the girl with her father at home), public/political (ships at the horizon), and the in-between space of education (the boat with the teacher and students). The students and teacher on the boat illustrate school as a special pedagogic form. Masschelein and Simons ( 2019 ) argue that the ancient Greek idea behind school (σχολή, scholè , free time) is that students should all be treated as equal and should all get equal opportunities. At school, their descent does not matter. At school, there is time to study, to make mistakes, without having to work for a living. At school, they learn to collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds, in preparation for future life in the public space. One challenge of the lockdown situation as a consequence of the pandemic is how to organize this in-between space in a way that upholds its special pedagogic form.

Research challenges

Based on the eight themes and considerations about mathematics education research itself, we formulate a set of research challenges that strike us as deserving further discussion (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ). We do not intend to suggest these are more important than others or that some other themes are less worthy of investigation, nor do we suggest that they entail a research agenda (cf. English, 2008 ).

Aligning new goals, curricula, and teaching approaches

There seems to be relatively little attention within mathematics education research for curricular issues, including topics such as learning goals, curriculum standards, syllabi, learning progressions, textbook analysis, curricular coherence, and alignment with other curricula. Yet we feel that we as mathematics education researchers should care about these topics as they may not necessarily be covered by other disciplines. For example, judging from Deng’s ( 2018 ) complaint about the trends in the discipline of curriculum studies, we cannot assume scholars in that field to address issues specific to the mathematics-focused curriculum (e.g., the Journal of Curriculum Studies and Curriculum Inquiry have published only a limited number of studies on mathematics curricula).

Learning goals form an important element of curricula or standards. It is relatively easy to formulate important goals in general terms (e.g., critical thinking or problem solving). As a specific example, consider mathematical problem posing (Cai & Leikin, 2020 ), which curriculum standards have specifically pointed out as an important educational goal—developing students’ problem-posing skills. Students should be provided opportunities to formulate their own problems based on situations. However, there are few problem-posing activities in current mathematics textbooks and classroom instruction (Cai & Jiang, 2017 ). A similar observation can be made about problem solving in Dutch primary textbooks (Kolovou et al., 2009 ). Hence, there is a need for researchers and educators to align problem posing in curriculum standards, textbooks, classroom instruction, and students’ learning.

The challenge we see for mathematics education researchers is to collaborate with scholars from other disciplines (interdisciplinarity) and with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity) in figuring out how the desired societal and educational goals can be shaped in mathematics education. Our discipline has developed several methodological approaches that may help in formulating learning goals and accompanying teaching approaches (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ), including epistemological analyses (Sierpinska, 1990 ), historical and didactical phenomenology (Bakker & Gravemeijer, 2006 ; Freudenthal, 1986 ), and workplace studies (Bessot & Ridgway, 2000 ; Hoyles et al., 2001 ). However, how should the outcomes of such research approaches be weighed against each other and combined to formulate learning goals for a balanced, coherent curriculum? What is the role of mathematics education researchers in relation to teachers, policymakers, and other stakeholders (Potari et al., 2019 )? In our discipline, we seem to lack a research-informed way of arriving at the formulation of suitable educational goals without overloading the curricula.

Researching mathematics education across contexts

Though methodologically and theoretically challenging, it is of great importance to study learning and teaching mathematics across contexts. After all, students do not just learn at school; they can also participate in informal settings (Nemirovsky et al., 2017 ), online forums, or affinity networks (Ito et al., 2018 ) where they may share for instance mathematical memes (Bini et al., 2020 ). Moreover, teachers are not the only ones teaching mathematics: Private tutors, friends, parents, siblings, or other relatives can also be involved in helping children with their mathematics. Mathematics learning could also be situated on streets or in museums, homes, and other informal settings. This was already acknowledged before 2020, but the pandemic has scattered learners and teachers away from the typical central school locations and thus shifted the distribution of labor.

In particular, physical and virtual spaces of learning have been reconfigured due to the pandemic. Issues of timing also work differently online, for example, if students can watch online lectures or videos whenever they like (asynchronously). Such reconfigurations of space and time also have an effect on the rhythm of education and hence on people’s energy levels (cf. Lefebvre, 2004 ). More specifically, the reconfiguration of the situation has affected many students’ levels of motivation and concentration (e.g., Meeter et al., 2020 ). As Engelbrecht et al. ( 2020 ) acknowledged, the pandemic has drastically changed the teaching and learning model as we knew it. It is quite possible that some existing theories about teaching and learning no longer apply in the same way. An interesting question is whether and how existing theoretical frameworks can be adjusted or whether new theoretical orientations need to be developed to better understand and promote productive ways of blended or online teaching, across contexts.

Focusing teacher professional development

Professional development of teachers and teacher educators stands out from the survey as being in need of serious investment. How can teachers be prepared for the unpredictable, both in terms of beliefs and actions? During the pandemic, teachers have been under enormous pressure to make quick decisions in redesigning their courses, to learn to use new technological tools, to invent creative ways of assessment, and to do what was within their capacity to provide opportunities to their students for learning mathematics—even if technological tools were limited (e.g., if students had little or no computer or internet access at home). The pressure required both emotional adaption and instructional adjustment. Teachers quickly needed to find useful information, which raises questions about the accessibility of research insights. Given the new situation, limited resources, and the uncertain unfolding of education after lockdowns, focusing teacher professional development on necessary and useful topics will need much attention. In particular, there is a need for longitudinal studies to investigate how teachers’ learning actually affects teachers’ classroom instruction and students’ learning.

In the surveys, respondents mainly referred to teachers as K-12 school mathematics teachers, but some also stressed the importance of mathematics teacher educators (MTEs). In addition to conducting research in mathematics education, MTEs are acting in both the role of teacher educators and of mathematics teachers. There has been increased research on MTEs as requiring professional development (Goos & Beswick, 2021 ). Within the field of mathematics education, there is an emerging need and interest in how mathematics teacher educators themselves learn and develop. In fact, the changing situation also provides an opportunity to scrutinize our habitual ways of thinking and become aware of what Jullien ( 2018 ) calls the “un-thought”: What is it that we as educators and researchers have not seen or thought about so much about that the sudden reconfiguration of education forces us to reflect upon?

Using low-tech resources

Particular strands of research focus on innovative tools and their applications in education, even if they are at the time too expensive (even too labor intensive) to use at large scale. Such future-oriented studies can be very interesting given the rapid advances in technology and attractive to funding bodies focusing on innovation. Digital technology has become ubiquitous, both in schools and in everyday life, and there is already a significant body of work capitalizing on aspects of technology for research and practice in mathematics education.

However, as Cai et al. ( 2020 ) indicated, technology advances so quickly that addressing research problems may not depend so much on developing a new technological capability as on helping researchers and practitioners learn about new technologies and imagine effective ways to use them. Moreover, given the millions of students in rural areas who during the pandemic have only had access to low-tech resources such as podcasts, radio, TV, and perhaps WhatsApp through their parents’ phones, we would like to see more research on what learning, teaching, and assessing mathematics through limited tools such as Whatsapp or WeChat look like and how they can be improved. In fact, in China, a series of WeChat-based mini-lessons has been developed and delivered through the WeChat video function during the pandemic. Even when the pandemic is under control, mini-lessons are still developed and circulated through WeChat. We therefore think it is important to study the use and influence of low-tech resources in mathematics education.

Staying in touch online

With the majority of students learning at home, a major ongoing challenge for everyone has been how to stay in touch with each other and with mathematics. With less social interaction, without joint attention in the same physical space and at the same time, and with the collective only mediated by technology, becoming and staying motivated to learn has been a widely felt challenge. It is generally expected that in the higher levels of education, more blended or distant learning elements will be built into education. Careful research on the affective, embodied, and collective aspects of learning and teaching mathematics is required to overcome eventually the distance and alienation so widely experienced in online education. That is, we not only need to rethink social interactions between students and/or teachers in different settings but must also rethink how to engage and motivate students in online settings.

Studying and improving equity without perpetuating inequality

Several colleagues have warned, for a long time, that one risk of studying achievement gaps, differences between majority and minority groups, and so forth can also perpetuate inequity. Admittedly, pinpointing injustice and the need to invest in particular less privileged parts of education is necessary to redirect policymakers’ and teachers’ attention and gain funding. However, how can one reorient resources without stigmatizing? For example, Svensson et al. ( 2014 ) pointed out that research findings can fuel political debates about groups of people (e.g., parents with a migration background), who then may feel insecure about their own capacities. A challenge that we see is to identify and understand problematic situations without legitimizing problematic stereotyping (Hilt, 2015 ).

Furthermore, the field of mathematics education research does not have a consistent conceptualization of equity. There also seem to be regional differences: It struck us that equity is the more common term in the responses from the Americas, whereas inclusion and diversity were more often mentioned in the European responses. Future research will need to focus on both the conceptualization of equity and on improving equity and related values such as inclusion.

Assessing online

A key challenge is how to assess online and to do so more effectively. This challenge is related to both privacy, ethics, and performance issues. It is clear that online assessment may have significant advantages to assess student mathematics learning, such as more flexibility in test-taking and fast scoring. However, many teachers have faced privacy concerns, and we also have the impression that in an online environment it is even more challenging to successfully assess what we value rather than merely assessing what is relatively easy to assess. In particular, we need to systematically investigate any possible effect of administering assessments online as researchers have found a differential effect of online assessment versus paper-and-pencil assessment (Backes & Cowan, 2019 ). What further deserves careful ethical attention is what happens to learning analytics data that can and are collected when students work online.

Doing and publishing interdisciplinary research

When analyzing the responses, we were struck by a discrepancy between what respondents care about and what is typically researched and published in our monodisciplinary journals. Most of the challenges mentioned in this section require interdisciplinary or even transdisciplinary approaches (see also Burkhardt, 2019 ).

An overarching key question is: What role does mathematics education research play in addressing the bigger and more general challenges mentioned by our respondents? The importance of interdisciplinarity also raises a question about the scope of journals that focus on mathematics education research. Do we need to broaden the scope of monodisciplinary journals so that they can publish important research that combines mathematics education research with another disciplinary perspective? As editors, we see a place for interdisciplinary studies as long as there is one strong anchor in mathematics education research. In fact, there are many researchers who do not identify themselves as mathematics education researchers but who are currently doing high-quality work related to mathematics education in fields such as educational psychology and the cognitive and learning sciences. Encouraging the reporting of high-quality mathematics education research from a broader spectrum of researchers would serve to increase the impact of the mathematics education research journals in the wider educational arena. This, in turn, would serve to encourage further collaboration around mathematics education issues from various disciplines. Ultimately, mathematics education research journals could act as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration to address the pressing questions of how mathematics is learned and taught.

Concluding remarks

In this paper, based on a survey conducted before and during the pandemic, we have examined how scholars in the field of mathematics education view the future of mathematics education research. On the one hand, there are no major surprises about the areas we need to focus on in the future; the themes are not new. On the other hand, the responses also show that the areas we have highlighted still persist and need further investigation (cf. OECD, 2020 ). But, there are a few areas, based on both the responses of the scholars and our own discussions and views, that stand out as requiring more attention. For example, we hope that these survey results will serve as propelling conversation about mathematics education research regarding online assessment and pedagogical considerations for virtual teaching.

The survey results are limited in two ways. The set of respondents to the survey is probably not representative of all mathematics education researchers in the world. In that regard, perhaps scholars in each country could use the same survey questions to survey representative samples within each country to understand how the scholars in that country view future research with respect to regional needs. The second limitation is related to the fact that mathematics education is a very culturally dependent field. Cultural differences in the teaching and learning of mathematics are well documented. Given the small numbers of responses from some continents, we did not break down the analysis for regional comparison. Representative samples from each country would help us see how scholars from different countries view research in mathematics education; they will add another layer of insights about mathematics education research to complement the results of the survey presented here. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope that the findings from the surveys will serve as a discussion point for the field of mathematics education to pursue continuous improvement.

Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Sfard for her advice on the survey, based on her own survey published in Sfard ( 2005 ). We are grateful for Stephen Hwang’s careful copyediting for an earlier version of the manuscript. Thanks also to Elisabeth Angerer, Elske de Waal, Paul Ernest, Vilma Mesa, Michelle Stephan, David Wagner, and anonymous reviewers for their feedback on earlier drafts.

Appendix 1: Explanation of Fig. 1

We have divided Fig. 1 in 12 rectangles called A1 (bottom left) up to C4 (top right) to explain the details (for image annotation go to https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937 )

Declarations

In line with the guidelines of the Code of Publication Ethics (COPE), we note that the review process of this article was blinded to the authors.

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Collaborative Research: Characterizing and Fostering Playful Mathematics for Undergraduate and High School Learning

The project will investigate (a) how to meaningfully incorporate playful elements into the foundational secondary and undergraduate mathematics topics of algebra and calculus, and (b) the potential outcomes of “playifying” classroom mathematics for students’ learning and enjoyment. The project will also investigate tasks that can be used for students to explore mathematical ideas such as rates of change, functions, derivatives, and integrals.

Sponsor National Science Foundation ECR-EDU Core $804,347

Principal investigator Amy Ellis Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

Co-principal investigators Robert Ely Professor, mathematics and statistical science, University of Idaho

Active since August 2024

Visit the project website

A challenge in mathematics education is that students often do not see math as an opportunity for exploration and creativity. However, these tenets are central to how mathematicians engage in mathematics and could prove transformative in how students experience mathematics learning. Mathematicians identify and formalize patterns, develop and prove conjectures, and explore mathematical structures in creative and playful ways. Mathematical play can also be used to help students explore new ideas, experiment with different solutions, and develop mathematical reasoning. Additionally, mathematical play bolsters motivation and engagement, which are critical factors in supporting students’ abilities to understand and persist in mathematics and the STEM fields.

This project will investigate (a) how to meaningfully incorporate playful elements into the foundational secondary and undergraduate mathematics topics of algebra and calculus, and (b) the potential outcomes of “playifying” classroom mathematics for students’ learning and enjoyment. The project will also investigate tasks that can be used for students to explore mathematical ideas such as rates of change, functions, derivatives, and integrals.

This study will examine the following traits of mathematical play:

• Exploration
• Self-selection of goals
• Immersion, investment, and/or enjoyment

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Home > Books > Innovation and Evolution in Higher Education

Teaching Relevant Mathematics Topics to Prepare Technical and Vocational Education Training College Students for Workforce: Lecturers’ Perspective

Submitted: 24 April 2024 Reviewed: 24 April 2024 Published: 10 June 2024

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.1005459

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The emphasis of this chapter is on the lecturers’ perspective on teaching relevant mathematics topic to prepare Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET). This chapter focused on the National Certificate Vocational [NC(V)] programmes in one of the provinces in South Africa. A qualitative method was used, and data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire. Convenient and purposive sampling was used to select the participants. The chapter sampled three lecturers from one TVET college. Data from the open-ended questionnaire were analyzed through the process of thematic. The findings of the study revealed that relevant mathematics topics taught in TVET colleges. The main resources for teaching mathematics are textbooks, which are the recommended textbooks. The lecturers’ conceptual understanding of TVET mathematics was also discovered. The study suggests that TVET colleges should teach pertinent mathematics topics and use educational materials that connect mathematical ideas to practical situations.

• teaching relevant mathematics topics
• technical and vocational education training
• lecturers’ perspective
• preparation for workforce
• national certificate vocational programmes

Author Information

Folake modupe adelabu *.

• Walter Sisulu University, Queenstown (Whittlesea), South Africa

Solomon Pharamela

• Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

Vocational education has a big role to play in preparing the students for workforce. To answer the student’s question, “what do I need mathematics for?” according to [ 1 ], mathematics is efficiently unescapable in the future workplace. Therefore, lecturers must prepare the students by exploring mathematics applications to various situations in the workforce that are collecting the concept with the real world. Furthermore, in preparing students to learn mathematics, exercises that are designed to examine the benefits of learning mathematics as a social rather than individual activity should be incorporated into the teaching. In addition, lecturers must include activities that will involve critical thinking and problem solving to enhance students’ abilities in communication [ 2 ]. In this regard, lecturer will be able to perform the role of academic instructor as well as vocational instructor. Caron [ 3 ] asserted that lectures must give students context for decision-making and solving problems. The reason is that jobs in the contemporary workplace involve the application of mathematics which requires innovation, creativity, and the ability to look at a task and not only see the outcome but also imagine different ways to achieve it. The author [ 3 ] further explains that schools need to go beyond the “three R’s” to improve college and career readiness with technical skills since important skills such as teamwork are frequently absent among students entering the workforce. Therefore, lecturers must prepare and involve students in learning relevant mathematics topics to understand how to work well with others with cooperative learning and working in groups in mathematics class. Furthermore, students need to be taught relevant consumer mathematics skills, such as balancing a chequebook, filling out a tax return, and budgeting, so that they will be able to manage their lives and function as responsible members of society, especially in managing finances [ 3 ].

When preparing the TVET college students for workforce through learning mathematics, the author [ 4 ] emphasized that TVET college’s mathematics curriculum requirements need to be reviewed in the light of what has been learned and what students need to know, which are relevant topics about mathematics to be effective in their careers. In addition, TVET students need to be taught and competent in some areas of mathematics that are not frequently taught in elementary and secondary schools but relevant to the TVET mathematics curriculum such as schematics (diagrams, graphics, plans, representation, and charts), geometric visualization and complex applications of measurement to be effective and prepare for workforce. Furthermore, a high priority should be given to the improvement of the teaching of relevant topics in mathematics such as proportional relationships including percent, graphical representations, functions, and expressions and equations in TVET colleges, and their application to concrete practical problems to prepare students for workforce [ 4 ].

To what extent do the lecturers teach mathematics that fit the requirement occupation in TVET colleges?

To what extent do the lecturers teach relevant mathematics topic to prepare students for workforce at TVET college?

What is the lecturer’s conceptual understanding of TVET mathematics?

What are the challenges of lecturers face in effect changes in TVET mathematics?

2. Literature review

Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) colleges play a crucial role in preparing students for the workforce, equipping them with practical skills and knowledge. Mathematics, being a fundamental subject, is essential for success in various vocational fields. This literature review explores the perspectives of lecturers regarding the teaching of relevant mathematics topics in TVET colleges to adequately prepare students for the demands of the workforce. By examining existing literature, this review aims to identify key mathematics topics considered essential by lecturers, challenges encountered in teaching these topics, and effective strategies for enhancing mathematics education in TVET colleges.

2.1 Teaching mathematics with appropriate resources in TVET colleges

Globally, mathematics classrooms are perceived as having the ability to effect change through the use of mathematics textbooks [ 5 , 6 ]. For implementing mathematics teaching and learning, mathematics textbooks provided supporting materials [ 6 , 7 ]. In the past, mathematics textbooks were intentionally created and employed as change agents in the teaching and learning of mathematics. History claims that the twentieth century saw a progressive recognition of the supportive and mediating function that mathematics textbooks played [ 6 , 7 ]. In addition, there are a number of well-known school mathematics textbook series from the period when the US mathematics reform movement first started, as well as from the twentieth-century mathematics movements in the United Kingdom, France, and many other nations. The US-based School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG) and the UK-based School Mathematics Project (SMP) are the publishers of these textbooks. Reformed school mathematics was designed and put into practice with an emphasis on the subject’s techniques, organization, and content [ 6 , 8 ]. Park [ 9 ] states that textbooks developed in the late 1970s were based on pedagogical techniques, such as student-centred learning, technology utilization, and cooperative learning. In contrast to traditional textbooks, these reform ideas are simply referred to as “reform textbooks” or “reform-oriented textbooks”. Textbooks, as teaching tools for mathematics, will thus always be viewed and utilized as intermediaries of reform and change in mathematics classrooms [ 6 ].

The authors [ 10 ] claim that there are many kinds of teaching resources that can be employed in the mathematics learning process, but not all of them are appropriate for accomplishing learning objectives. Textbooks are thought to be superior in encouraging self-directed learning, letting students’ study alone at their own speed, and providing exercises to help students become more proficient in their subjects. Students have the chance to participate in an activity that requires a deeper degree of comprehension of the material in the textbooks. As a result, learners who utilize textbooks have better mathematical learning capacities. Furthermore, according to the authors in [ 10 ], effective teaching resources enable students to learn activities to reach objectives and maximize their ability when solving mathematical problems.

According to [ 11 , 12 ], mathematics textbooks are the common resources that TVET lecturers use in teaching mathematics in TVET colleges in South Africa.

2.2 Understanding TVET colleges mathematics

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is the term for educational programmes that place a strong emphasis on imparting the competencies, knowledge, and practical skills needed for sectors and jobs [ 13 ]. The authors also point out that TVET colleges are widely recognized in South Africa as organizations that help students develop their practical engineering abilities and become ready to become artisans. The authors [ 13 ] state that the National Certificate Vocational (NC(V)), which is offered by South African public TVET colleges from Level 2 to Level 4, lasts 1 year for each level, and the National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED), which is divided into two parts: the business and engineering components. Semesters are used for the business component, and trimesters are used for the engineering component.

One of the foundational courses for NCV programmes and one of the four N1–N3 engineering disciplines in NATED programmes is mathematics, as mentioned by the author in [ 13 ]. The authors [ 14 ] express a similar opinion, stating that all engineering degrees should require prospective artisans to study mathematics as a foundational topic. According to the author in [ 14 ], mathematics is a subject that teaches people how to solve problems and make decisions by using reason and methodical thinking. Research studies indicate that in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), mathematics is important for improving students’ skills [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. According to the author in [ 18 ], mathematics is the cornerstone and essential discipline for technical and engineering domains. The authors [ 14 ] explain further that mathematics is an important topic for developing critical thinking abilities in addition to imparting the fundamental knowledge required in these fields.

According to the author in [ 18 ], mathematics-oriented thinking skills include the capacity to accurately apply mathematics to gather data and solve issues as well as the interpretation of information presented in a mathematical style. The author [ 19 ] states that a student who is mathematically literate is aware of the importance of mathematics in the real world and is therefore able to make the kind of well-informed decisions that are required for active, constructive, and thoughtful citizenship. Furthermore, according to [ 20 ], the main goal of vocational mathematics education is to prepare students for future employment prospects or to improve the abilities of competent workers, hence raising their competency.

The authors in [ 21 ] assert that mathematics is a foundational science that contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge and technology through both its theoretical and practical parts. Essentially, mathematics is an academic discipline that deals with abstract ideas that need to be understood before they can be applied to real-world situations. This allows for a more profound comprehension of a variety of occurrences.

2.3 Teaching appropriate mathematics topics to prepare TVET students for workforce development

Teaching is the process of imparting to students the skills, information and understanding that they have gained via a combination of professional training and real-world experience [ 22 ]. The process of teaching and learning, according to the author in [ 23 ], involves several difficulties since teaching requires teachers to make sure that students learn effectively. Varieties of instructional strategies can be used to promote successful learning, including both conventional and cutting-edge approaches, individual and group techniques, and teacher- and learner-centred strategies [ 23 ]. In addition, teachers have a duty to establish a conducive learning environment and use efficient teaching strategies to pique students’ sincere curiosity and motivate them to take an active role in their education.

According to the author in [ 18 ], the themes in the mathematics curriculum are designed to aid students in comprehending mathematical ideas and techniques for solving problems. In contrast to other courses, mathematical concepts are frequently more abstract and call for students to work with symbols that have little to no real significance [ 18 ]. Furthermore, the author in [ 24 ] contend that the goal of the mathematics curriculum is to give students the knowledge and abilities they need to succeed in the rapidly changing technological environment. According to the author in [ 17 ], mathematics curricula and instructional strategies, especially for career education, must be thoughtfully planned to give students information and critical thinking abilities.

The authors in [ 25 ] say that mathematics education should give students the tools they need to apply mathematical ideas in a variety of job and everyday life contexts. The main goals of teaching mathematics in various nations and to all age groups are to develop students’ understanding of mathematical structures and their capacity for mathematical thought [ 26 ]. The author in [ 26 ] contends that instruction ought to support the growth of students’ mathematical cognition and provide them with a foundational understanding of mathematical ideas and concepts. Students’ ability to manage information and solve issues is bolstered by this foundation. In a similar vein, the author in [ 27 ] contends that the goal of mathematics education for engineering students is to grasp and master mathematical concepts and abilities so they may effectively solve problems in their coursework and in their future professional endeavors. This suggests that a grasp of mathematical ideas is necessary for engineering courses.

Nonetheless, the contemporary work environment is experiencing swift changes that affect the mathematical instruments needed to simulate its most significant obstacles [ 28 ]. The changes require new characteristics and unique features, which forces educational systems to give learners and students the skills and competencies necessary for promoting innovation, managing change, and carrying out ideas with initiative and flexibility. These attributes, often known as twenty-first-century talents, are considered necessary for successfully negotiating the complexity and unpredictability of the contemporary world [ 28 ]. As stated by [ 29 ], it is imperative that teachers recognize the basic changes that are taking place in twenty-first-century education and, more importantly, comprehend how these changes affect the way that mathematics is taught.

The authors in [ 30 ] point out that technological advancements and the accessibility of digital resources have created new opportunities for engineering work. For example, computer assistance is now used to solve complex mathematical problems, and simulations and visualizations are now essential tools in the engineering process. [ 26 ], who contend that teachers can actively engage students in challenging mathematical problems that promote the development of strategic thinking and provide credence to the idea that twenty-first-century abilities can be learned and taught through mathematics. Additionally, the authors in [ 25 ] posit that teaching mathematics appears to be a perfect fit for developing twenty-first-century abilities like communication, cooperation, problem-posing and solving, and critical thinking.

These abilities are seen as essential in problem-solving-based teaching approaches, which recognize that knowledge is not only transferred but rather concentrates on helping students build their mathematical understanding. In keeping with this line of reasoning, the author in [ 31 ] asserts that all students must achieve a conceptual understanding, show skill mastery, and retain a good attitude toward mathematics in order to succeed in the demands of the twenty-first century.

The authors in [ 25 ] state that using a mathematical lens to engage with the environment entails identifying, interpreting, and creating links, patterns, and functions. Therefore, using a variety of tools, such as tables, graphs, symbols, and spoken explanations, is frequently necessary for mathematical lens procedure. Furthermore, a basic understanding of economic, political, and social studies depends especially on an understanding of functions and interactions between variables. Additionally, [ 17 ] identified seven skills—critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration across networks and leading by influence which are agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurialism, effective oral and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination—that TVET students can acquire when they exhibit strong proficiency in mathematics.

The author in [ 17 ] also contends that mastery of all these abilities requires a solid foundation in mathematics for students. [ 27 ] argue that engineering students should broaden their knowledge in a variety of mathematical fields as part of their undergraduate education. These include mathematical optimization, potential and approximation theory, applied analysis, and numerical analysis, among many others. According to [ 32 ], calculus is one of the key subjects in advanced mathematics with a wide range of applications in fields like engineering and physics. Therefore, it is essential that students gain a thorough understanding of calculus ideas and be able to apply them in a variety of circumstances and contexts.

The 21st-century skills that are needed in mathematics, according to the author in [ 31 ], include investigative, learning, communication, information and communication technology (ICT), and reasoning capabilities. Extending these competences, the author in [ 29 ] identified the six Cs of twenty-first-century education: computational thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and compassion. These researchers also stress that by combining the six Cs with Integrative Mathematics Skills (IMS), students can benefit from integrated learning that promotes the development of critical twenty-first-century skills in addition to improving their mathematical ability. With the help of this integrated approach, teachers may support students’ growth in the areas of mathematical competency and the six critical skills that are vital to modern education.

In forming students’ mathematical identities, teachers are the most significant resource [ 33 ]. This requires thinking about the differences between canonical and noncanonical forms of mathematics, learning how to grasp the rigorous foundations of mathematics while also developing a general understanding of it, and balancing the formal and contextual aspects of mathematics [ 33 ]. The important mathematics themes, such as statistical literacy, space-geometry, measurement, data collecting, variables and co-variation, reading and interpreting data, graphs, and charts, are thought to be crucial in preparing students for job growth.

According to the author in [ 34 ], a number of mathematics specialists highlight the importance of algebraic knowledge and abilities for both scholastic success and developing a skilled workforce in scientific and technical fields.

2.4 Challenges encountered in teaching relevant mathematics topics

Research studies indicate that there are difficulties in the instruction and acquisition of mathematical concepts. For example, the author in [ 24 ] identify a number of factors that affect mathematics education, including connecting mathematics to real-world applications, making effective use of instructional materials, teachers’ personalities, their subject-matter expertise, ineffective instructional practices, and difficulties with classroom management brought on by a lack of commitment on the part of both teachers and students. According to the author in [ 16 ], students learn mathematics in schools mostly by having teachers explain concepts in front of them, after which they take notes and work on given sample problems. This method of instruction is known as inductive; while pupils perform mathematical computations, their capacity for problem solving and analytical reasoning appears to be restricted.

The author in [ 31 ] noted similarly that teaching and studying mathematics in Nepalese schools tends to focus more on students reproducing the methods their teachers use, with less attention paid to developing conceptual knowledge or practical problem-solving abilities. For students in the twenty-first century, [ 31 ] contends, this method of teaching and learning presents difficulties.

According to the author in [ 35 ], one of the reasons why students perform poorly in mathematics includes a dearth of mathematical texts that closely follow established curricula and teachers who lack the expertise and abilities to explain subjects clearly. Furthermore, some teachers are not completely aware of the cognitive processes that students use to learn mathematics. Moreover, a lot of South African students speak English as a second language, which can make it difficult for them to learn mathematics when taught in English.

3. Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework that underpinned this chapter is the theory of Constructivist Theory of Learning. Constructivism is the concept that learners construct their own knowledge from experience.

The continuum constructivism theory is divided into three broad categories: cognitive constructivism [ 36 ], social [ 37 , 38 ], and radical constructivism [ 39 , 40 ]. Cognitive constructivists emphasize accurate mental constructions of reality. Meanwhile, radical constructivists emphasize the construction of a coherent experiential reality. In addition, social constructivists emphasize the construction of an agreed-upon, socially constructed reality [ 41 ]. The essential core of constructivism is that learners actively construct their own knowledge and meaning from their experiences [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. The essential epistemological views of constructivism are firstly, knowledge is not passively accumulated, but rather, is the result of active cognizing by the individual. Secondly, cognition is an adaptive process that functions to make an individual’s behavior more viable given a particular environment. Thirdly, cognition organizes and makes sense of one’s experience, and it is not a process to render an accurate representation of reality. Fourthly, knowing has roots both in biological or neurological construction and in social, cultural, and language-based interactions [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].

According to [ 48 ] constructivist theories, knowledge results from a continual process in which it is constructed and continually tested. Constructivists are nevertheless not free to construct just any knowledge; therefore, the knowledge constructed must be viable and work. From this perspective, knowledge should not be judged on whether it is true or false but rather in terms of whether it works or not. Therefore, what we call the stakeholders (educators, policymakers and curriculum developers) should emphasize that the knowledge constructed in TVET functions satisfactorily in the contexts in which it is constructed and applied.

In the article “The radical constructivist view on Science ” by Von Glasersfeld [ 40 ] where, he argues that the knowledge constructed must fit reality the way the key fits a lock, which means that is different from looking for a match between knowledge and reality because many keys with slightly different shapes can open the same lock. The implication is that knowledge should not be looked at as being true or false; it should be judged on the fact that it works or it does not. Therefore, knowledge that counts in TVET is knowledge that works in the contexts in which it is applied.

In vocational education, knowledge cannot be viewed in the same way as verbalizing explanations of what a vocation consists; instead, it should be viewed as being an integration of contextual, theoretical (conceptual, procedural, and propositional), practical and indigenous everyday knowledge. This is because to be a competent craftsman, and a person needs to put to use all forms of knowledge that relate to his or her vocation in the context in which it is applied.

According to [ 49 ], social constructivism offers a viewpoint for comprehending how students are learning within their surroundings. As with constructivism and socially critical collaborative learning, social constructivism is expected to see learning as a process of creating meaning in order to make sense of events [ 50 ]. TVET lecturers are supposed to be aware of their students in accordance with this expectation [ 51 ]. As a result, social constructivism promotes an atmosphere in which students actively participate in the construction of their knowledge, much like constructivism and socially critical collaborative learning do [ 52 ]. It is recommended that lecturers establish a classroom climate in which students feel free to express ideas, ask questions, pose difficulties, and set goals. Thus, it is important to promote active learning in students by exposing them to a range of teaching strategies [ 49 ].

The study employs qualitative research method, and the instrument was an open-ended questionnaire for lecturer. A descriptive approach on teaching relevant mathematics topics in TVET colleges to prepare students for future workforce The research paradigm is epistemological constructivism. This indicates that knowledge of mathematics is created by human perception and social experience. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires from three (3) TVET mathematics lecturers. All the participants are lecturing in one of the TVET colleges doing National Certificate Vocational [NC(V)] programmes in one of the Provinces in South Africa. These mathematics lecturers were purposively selected to participate by providing pertinent information on the teaching of relevant topics in mathematics. The open-ended questionnaire was administered to each lecturer and collected back after 2 weeks. The open-ended questionnaire questions focused on teaching relevant topics in mathematics. The instrument meets the trustworthiness criteria. This is the questionnaire that can be transferred and dependable, credible, and confirmed. The lecturers were able to express themselves about their teaching methods as well as relevant topics in mathematics. The questionnaire was collected and analyzed descriptively. Themes were generated from the responses of the participants. The participants voluntarily participated in the study. The informed consent form was signed by the participants, and all ethical conditions were met. Data were analyzed inductively.

The open-ended questionnaire was collected from the participants and analyzed descriptively. Three lecturers participated in the study from one TVET college in one province in South Africa. Two females and one male were the respondents who participated in the study. The two females are mathematics teachers for NC(V) levels 2–4 while the male participant teaches NC(V) levels 2 and 3. The findings of the study are categorized into four parts: which are resources used to teach mathematics, conceptual understanding of TVET mathematics lecturers, relevant mathematics topics taught in TVET colleges and challenges encountered in teaching the relevant mathematics topics.

5.1 Resources used to teach mathematics in TVET colleges

All the participants responded that the main resource they used to teach mathematics was textbooks. The three respondents mentioned the name of the textbook they are using to teach mathematics. The responses were:

NCVL1: “I use basic manual textbooks, reference textbooks. Additional to that the students also use workbook”.

NCVL2: “I use Handson- training mathematics – future managers. Hands on training mathematics literacy”.

NCVL3: “I use TVET 1 st and 3 rd Edition mathematics”.

These are recommended resources for teaching mathematics in the TVET colleges.

A further question on the resources used to teach mathematics asked if the resources (textbooks) are appropriate for the students to acquire mathematics skills and prepare them for the workforce. The responses of all the lecturers are as follows:

NCVL1: “They provide organised units of work. Textbooks contain series of balance chorological exercises to equip students with necessary skills to prepare them for workplace”.

NCVL2: “Yes, the knowledge the comprehend through textbooks is appropriate for them as it gives knowledge and skills that are required by the workforce”.

NCVL3: “The textbook contains balanced units of work”.

All the respondents acknowledged that the textbooks they are using to teach mathematics are appropriate for the students, and through these textbooks, students will be able to acquire mathematics skills that can be demonstrated in workforce.

5.2 Understanding of TVET mathematics

The participants acknowledged that they have a conceptual understanding of the subject (Mathematics) when teaching it in the classroom. These are their responses:

NCVL1: “Lecturers are qualified mathematics teachers with sound knowledge in mathematics and mathematical frameworks. They have necessary skills to facilitate students understanding of concepts and support the habit of thought or patterns conceptual learning encourages future learning therefore planning and seeing the bigger picture is always necessary”.

NCVL2: “Firstly one needs to have majored in mathematics- of FET level. Secondly thorough knowledge of the subject. The passion, enthusiasm, and interest in unfolding the world of mathematics”.

NCVL3: “Lecturers have the necessary skills to facilitate students”.

All the respondents are qualified and have a conceptual understanding of the mathematics they are teaching.

5.3 Relevant mathematics topics taught in TVET colleges

The respondents stated the aspect of mathematics they are teaching. Their responses are as follows:

NCVL1: “Algebra analysis, arithmetic analysis, game theory, geometrics analysis, number theory, numerical analysis, optimization, probability theory etc.”.

NCVL2: “All aspect of mathematics from traditional instruments”.

NCVL3: “Probabilities theory, numerical analysis, geometry, algebra, arithmetic, optimization game theory”.

Further questions are needed to probe if the topics they teach fit the required occupation in society. All the participants responded by enumerating some topics that required occupation in the society as:

NCVL1: “Numbers – Numbers are all round us”.

Space and shape and orientation—measurements of perimeter, are and calculation of volume of different objects and scenarios in real contexts.

Finances—Equipping them with budgeting, spending and consequences of reckless spending.

Data handling—collecting and analyzing information in different situations.

NCVL2: “Algebra, statistics, geometry, trigonometry, financial math, linear programming, calculus, space, shapes and measurements, probability”.

NCVL3: “Measurements of perimeter, calculation of different objects and different situations”.

The participants stated the topics that fit the requirements of occupation in society. The NCVL1 gave examples of where these topics can be useful in the world of work.

The participants gave the reasons why these topics are relevant to be taught in TVET colleges and how they can equip students for their future vocation when related to the procedure of concrete practical problems in real life. These are their responses:

NCVL1: “The topics are very much relevant because they equip the students with better problem-solving skills, analytical and logical reasoning. … also, by using real life experiences and doing practical examples using known”.

NCVL2: “they can be able to estimate expenses, understand financial statements-, be able to determine the best route to take. In calculating distances between 2 points time, they will take to have a certain distance. How to do conversions between measuring units (e.g. from km to m), map readings, whether focus (probability). …”.

NCVL3: “Yes, they are relevant as they equip learners with better problem-solving skills. … also, by using practical examples of real-life experiences”.

All the participants acknowledged that all the topics are relevant to equip the students and to prepare them for the workforce in the future by using examples from real-life experiences.

5.4 Challenges encountered in teaching relevant mathematics topics

Two of the participants responded to the type of challenges the encountered when teaching these topics. Their responses are as follows:

NCVL1: “The most challenges part is to make students relate whatever thought to real-life situations. Students need to master the skills of breaking barriers wall between theory gained and the application of that theory in their daily lives”.

NCVL2: “I encountered challenges when I focus on knowledge of mathematical facts, rules, formulae methods to approaches in real life applications”.

These participants acknowledged that relating these topics to real-life situations and their applications is difficult for them to explain or demonstrate in the classroom. Also, for students to understand the applications is problematic.

6. Discussions and conclusions

The findings of this study revealed that lecturers used textbooks to teach mathematics as the main resources. The responses of the lecturers indicated that the lecturers are using textbooks to teach mathematics in the TVET college and that these are the recommended textbooks and appropriate to teach the subject. This result concurred with [ 11 , 12 , 53 , 54 ], where these researchers concluded that textbooks are the main resources that lecturers use to teach mathematics in TVET colleges. Furthermore, the findings of the study also revealed that the lecturers are skilled and qualified and have a conceptual understanding of the mathematics concepts to teach the subject. Moreover, the results of the study revealed the relevant topics that are fit for the requirements profession in the industries and society. These topics are relevant and can be applied in fields and disciplines such as computer science, engineering, natural sciences, medical science, economics, and accounting. In addition, the findings show the challenges lecturers encountered during the implementation of change in mathematics. The lecturers encountered challenges when relating and applying the topics to real-life situations, which is also a challenge for the students to comprehend. These results agreed with [ 13 ], wherein mathematics professors are encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities to enhance their pedagogical abilities, mathematical topic understanding, and capacity to apply cutting-edge teaching methodologies. According to the authors in [ 55 ], lecturers are confident in their abilities to fully impart skills to students. The findings of the study also corresponded with the studies of [ 22 , 29 , 32 ] where these researchers discovered that the most pertinent topics are statistics, space-geometry, and calculus, and all mentioned by the respondents grow the teaching mathematics in TVET colleges to help students to decode and interpret information, structure and conceptualize the problem situation, make inferences and assumptions, formulate a model, and access data and information in society. These results also coincided with the author in [ 24 ], who determined the various factors that impact mathematics education, such as relating mathematics to real-world applications, utilizing instructional materials effectively, teachers’ personalities, subject-matter expertise, ineffective instructional practices, and challenges with classroom management resulting from a lack of commitment from both teachers and students.

In conclusion, this study revealed that relevant mathematics topics have been taught in the TVET colleges, which can prepare students for the application in the workforce. TVET mathematics lecturers were skilled and knowledgeable in teaching mathematics. The lecturers possessed a conceptual understanding of the mathematics concept. In addition, the challenges the lecturers faced when teaching these concepts were discovered in this study.

The implication of the findings of this study is that poor performance in mathematics and inadequate quality education might result from using textbooks as the primary teaching resource for mathematics in Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) courses. Students’ preference for memorization of key components of mathematical accomplishments and rote learning are the causes. Furthermore, there will not be enough real-world instances.

7. Recommendations

This study suggests that TVET colleges should teach pertinent mathematics topics. The country’s Higher Education Department ought to suggest topics that are pertinent and help students apply their learning to the actual world. TVET lecturers must try to ascertain what prior knowledge their students possess and cultivate a solid rapport with them as students. Additional educational materials that connect mathematical ideas to practical situations should be available.

8. Conclusions

The sections of this chapter are numbered one through seven. The introductions provided an overview of the study’s contents about the teaching and learning of mathematics in TVET colleges and how to get students ready for the workforce at the beginning of the chapter. The chapter’s second section, the literature review, summarizes several research on teaching pertinent mathematics at TVET colleges. Teaching mathematics with appropriate resources in TVET colleges; Understanding TVET colleges mathematics; Teaching appropriate mathematics topics to prepare TVET students for workforce development; and Challenges encountered in teaching relevant mathematics topics are the subheadings into which the literature review was divided. The theoretical underpinning that directed the research was constructivism. This chapter employs a qualitative approach using the epistemological constructivism research paradigm. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The chapter’s discussion and conclusions were appropriate and well-supported by pertinent material. The chapter recommended that pertinent subjects be taught in TVET mathematics and that these subjects be connected to actual circumstances.

Acknowledgments

My acknowledgement goes to the research committee of Walter Sisulu University, which approves the project to be carried out. My appreciation also goes to the Department of Research and Innovation of the institution for the funding of the publication. Furthermore, I want to express gratitude to all the participants who participated in this study for their contribution to making the article a reality.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Notes/thanks/other declarations.

There is no declaration.

Appendices and nomenclature

Lecturers’ interview questions

What type of textbooks do the students/lecturers use to study/teach mathematics?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In what way do the textbooks appropriate for students to acquire mathematics skills and prepare them for the workforce?

What are the admission requirements for students for TVET? Do the admission to TVET colleges require high/medium/least grades in mathematics?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is the sound conceptual understanding of the mathematics do the lecturers have for their teaching?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What aspect of mathematics are you teaching in TVET colleges? What challenges do you encounter teaching them?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

What are the mathematics topics do you teach that fits the requirement occupation in the society?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In what way do these topics relevant to the student’s vocation in the future?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

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