curiosità 22/10/2025 0 Comments

Why is research in mathematics education important?

Mathematics is not only a scientific discipline, it is also the language of science. But mathematics is everywhere in everyday life. We use it when we go shopping, manage our finances and savings, plan activities, and understand public debt, as well as social, political and environmental phenomena, through data. We should all be very good at it, as it would certainly be in our best interests, however it is considered a complex subject that is not within everyone’s reach. Negative feelings towards the discipline can develop from childhood and turn into what is known as maths anxiety. An anxiety disorder that is widespread throughout the world and across all age groups, ranging from a feeling of mild concern to an experience of real fear. It interferes with number management and problem solving both in school – where poor academic performance leads to the belief that one is incapable of understanding it – and in everyday life, where managing calculations in a short time becomes extremely difficult. Anxiety is more prevalent in females, not because of lesser mathematical abilities, but because of the internalization of the social stereotype that mathematics is a purely male discipline.

Many studies have been conducted to understand this phenomenon, and the solution seems very clear: change the way mathematics is taught. Teachers play a central role in developing solid basic mathematical skills so that students can develop confidence and not fear and make mistakes without being afraid. According to Loris, however, knowing a subject well does not necessarily mean knowing how to teach it as “the point is to know how to pass on what you know to the younger generation, while also adapting to them”. In fact, teaching does not depend solely on experience and knowledge, but also on courses, guidelines, and manuals that are the result of the research in the field of Mathematics Education. But what is meant by Education?

Once defined as the art of teaching everything to everyone, didactics is the branch of study that examines the different ways in which teaching leads to learning, and is based on linguistics, epistemology, psychology, and pedagogy. In fact, what is referred to as the learning situation is not only linked to the act of teaching, but also to the relationship that is created between students and teachers, where the latter must understand the heterogeneity of a class and the individual needs of each student. The ultimate goal? To establish, within the school environment, an active and inclusive construction of knowledge that is independent of difficulties and differences and that responds to the needs of every student, especially those with special educational needs.

Mathematics education, in particular, is an interdisciplinary field of research and analysis that aims to improve the understanding of processes underlying the acquisition of mathematical knowledge, as well as to improve teaching and learning practices in schools. According to the latest research, the approach used in Italy to date, based on formulae and mnemonic techniques, has several limitations and it is particularly ineffective when individual affective or metacognitive aspects are not understood. It is in relation to the latter that research in teaching is important, ensuring that lessons are equally inclusive for students with normal mathematical abilities, those with mathematical learning difficulties such as dyscalculia, and those with disabilities of any kind. In the latter cases, the use of new technologies is essential.

According to research, teachers need multiple and flexible tools to organize the process of teaching and learning mathematics. Some of these are artifacts, or teaching materials more generally, whose educational potential is defined by the Theory of Semiotic Mediation. Here, the role of the teacher lies in semiotic mediation, which consists of making students understand a mathematical concept through the use of artifacts. In addition to these, there are various models and techniques that can determine a teacher’s knowledge base and to do this, dialogue between universities and schools, and therefore between research and teaching practice, is important. Furthermore, mathematics has long been considered a culturally neutral discipline. A belief that has become a taboo which research in the field of ethnomathematics seeks to deconstruct by studying mathematical ideas present in different cultures.

Research in the field of mathematics education is therefore a tool that primarily serves teachers and is essential for the creation of innovative teaching methods, alternatives to traditional classroom teaching, that promote independent, flexible, motivated, and stimulating learning for each student. And who knows what other developments there will be in research with the use of AI.

For further information, we recommend reading the following articles, which address these issues in greater detail:

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