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Education Sciences
Special Issues
Bridging Mathematics and the Arts: Interdisciplinary Approaches
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Bridging Mathematics and the Arts: Interdisciplinary Approaches

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2026 | Viewed by 1701

Editors

Prof. Dr. Isabel Vale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Education and Teacher Training, Escola Superior de Educação, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4901-908 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Interests: problem solving; visualization; creativity; connections; patterns; active learning; outdoor education; STEAM education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ana Barbosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Education and Teacher Training, Escola Superior de Educação, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4901-908 Viana do Castelo, Portugal
Interests: problem solving; visualization; algebraic thinking; active learning; outdoor education; STEAM education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Interdisciplinary approaches in education have gained increasing relevance as contemporary societies face complex cultural, social, and technological challenges that cannot be addressed through isolated disciplinary perspectives. Bridging Mathematics and the Arts offers powerful opportunities to foster meaningful learning, positioning mathematics as a connecting language that supports creative expression, analytical reasoning, and problem solving. Such integrative perspectives enable learners to explore mathematical ideas through visual, artistic, and performative practices, promoting deeper conceptual understanding and more authentic engagement with real-world contexts.

Despite the growing interest in interdisciplinary initiatives connecting mathematics and the arts, important challenges remain related to task design, pedagogical approaches, assessment practices, teacher education, and the sustainable integration of interdisciplinary perspectives in formal educational settings. Further research is needed to understand how these approaches can be effectively designed, implemented, and evaluated across different educational levels and learning environments.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions that explore interdisciplinary approaches bridging mathematics and the arts. We welcome original research that advances knowledge on innovative educational practices, with particular attention to teaching and learning processes, task and learning environment design, and teacher professional development, across all educational levels.

Suggested themes

Interdisciplinary approaches bridging mathematics and the arts

Mathematical connections through artistic practices

STEAM approaches

Task design and interdisciplinary contexts

Teacher education and professional development

Creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking

Assessment in interdisciplinary contexts

Digital tools, makerspaces, and creative practices

Prof. Dr. Isabel Vale
Prof. Dr. Ana Barbosa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mathematics education
  • arts
  • interdisciplinarity
  • connections
  • STEAM education
  • creativity
  • problem solving
  • teacher education

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 5919 KB  
Article
Mathematics for the Arts and the Arts for Mathematics: Promoting Soft Skills Through the STEAM Approach in Early Childhood Education
by Ángel Alsina and María Salgado
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(8), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16081207 - 29 Jul 2026
Viewed by 536
Abstract
This article links Mathematics and the Arts through the STEAM approach to highlight the potential of this interdisciplinary approach in early childhood education. From this perspective, the aim is to present the design and implementation of the STEAM activity, We Build Trees with [...] Read more.
This article links Mathematics and the Arts through the STEAM approach to highlight the potential of this interdisciplinary approach in early childhood education. From this perspective, the aim is to present the design and implementation of the STEAM activity, We Build Trees with Cuisenaire Rods, and to analyse how soft skills are promoted within a group of 18 five-year-old pupils. Using the Thick Description approach and an analytical model, it has been identified that: (1) Mathematics and the Arts maintained an ongoing dialogue throughout the sequence of seven tasks included in the STEAM activity; (2) the STEAM activity contributed to the development of soft skills such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and teamwork, technological and digital literacy, curiosity and autonomy, and design and design thinking. We conclude that, from the interdisciplinary STEAM perspective, the Arts are not an instrumental discipline serving Mathematics, nor is Mathematics merely a setting for working on art; rather, both disciplines enrich one another to promote soft skills in early years education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bridging Mathematics and the Arts: Interdisciplinary Approaches)
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26 pages, 5409 KB  
Article
Pop-Up Cards—A Context for Interdisciplinarity Between Visual Arts and Mathematics
by Lina Brunheira, Cristina Loureiro, José Pedro Regatão, Joana Conceição, Cristina Morais and Helena Gil Guerreiro
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 869; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16060869 - 31 May 2026
Viewed by 318
Abstract
This study is based on an interdisciplinary teaching experience in two 2nd-grade classes, integrating Visual Arts and Mathematics through the use of Pop-Up cards. It aimed to identify how these activities foster disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning, the aspects of the teacher’s role most [...] Read more.
This study is based on an interdisciplinary teaching experience in two 2nd-grade classes, integrating Visual Arts and Mathematics through the use of Pop-Up cards. It aimed to identify how these activities foster disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning, the aspects of the teacher’s role most relevant to enhancing students’ learning, and the types of professional knowledge required. The research methodology follows the four phases of the didactic engineering approach, with data collected comprising photographs, audio/video recordings, and classroom observations. The analysis of students’ learning employs a framework that emerged from the data and was articulated with the literature. Regarding the teachers’ role and knowledge, these dimensions were identified through teachers’ actions in selected classroom episodes. The results show that Pop-Up cards promote rich learning experiences in Visual Arts and Mathematics, enabling students to understand a new artistic composition combined with construction techniques. The experience promoted spatial reasoning by relating three-dimensional shapes to two-dimensional elements of the composition and the identification of geometric figures and metric relationships. Regarding the teachers’ role and knowledge, interdisciplinary pedagogical content knowledge proved essential for guiding the process, which should include the fundamental practices of Creation, Analysis, and Enjoyment, and supporting both artistic and mathematical learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bridging Mathematics and the Arts: Interdisciplinary Approaches)
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