Curriculum Development in Mathematics Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Curriculum and Instruction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2025) | Viewed by 5037

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Curriculum & Instruction, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Interests: K-12 mathematics curriculum; spanning standards; textbooks; mathematics assessment

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Guest Editor
Matematica, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA
Interests: mathematics curriculum analysis; the development of proportional and geometric reasoning in k-12 students and preservice teachers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue focused on Mathematics Curriculum Research. This Special Issue aims to explore the pivotal role that curriculum plays in shaping the landscape of mathematics education and to foster discussions on innovative approaches, challenges, and advancements in the field. Through insightful contributions, we aspire to create a space in which researchers, educators, and policymakers can engage in a dynamic dialogue and contribute to the ongoing evolution and improvement of mathematics curricular.

We welcome contributions that delve into various aspects of mathematics curriculum research, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Analysis of curriculum design and its impact on learning
  • Alignment between curriculum, standards, and assessments
  • Innovative pedagogical approaches in mathematics curriculum
  • Evaluation of the impact of curriculum interventions
  • Integration of technology in mathematics curriculum
  • Advancing methodologies in mathematics curriculum studies
  • Evolving mathematics curriculum in STEM education
  • Cultural and contextual considerations in mathematics curriculum 

We welcome empirical studies, theoretical contributions, and practical insights that contribute to the broader understanding of mathematics curriculum research.

Best Regards,

Dr. Lili Zhou
Dr. Jane-Jane Lo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • mathematics curriculum analysis
  • cultural mathematics
  • methodologies in curriculum studies

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 924 KiB  
Article
Forces Influencing Technical Mathematics Curriculum Implementation: Departmental Heads’ Understanding of Their Practices to Enact Roles and Responsibilities
by Mfundo Mondli Khoza and Annatoria Zanele Ngcobo
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010103 - 18 Jan 2025
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Abstract
This qualitative study explores forces influencing the practices of Departmental Heads (DHs) in enacting their roles in implementing and managing Technical Mathematics (TMAT) curriculum. TMAT was piloted in a few South African schools in 2016 and later scaled to others. Since its inception, [...] Read more.
This qualitative study explores forces influencing the practices of Departmental Heads (DHs) in enacting their roles in implementing and managing Technical Mathematics (TMAT) curriculum. TMAT was piloted in a few South African schools in 2016 and later scaled to others. Since its inception, learner performance has been uneven, raising questions about the processes of managing and implementing the curriculum. We use Samuel’s Force Field Model to understand forces influencing DH practices in their quest to implement and manage the curriculum. Data were generated using one-on-one interviews and document analysis and thematically analysed using NVivo. The findings reveal that contextual and external forces are the main factors that influence DH practices when it comes to the implementation and management of the curriculum. These forces influence practices such that the roles and responsibilities are carried out mainly for compliance purposes. While in theory, DHs seem to believe in collaboration, they prefer working in silos and perceive that the success of the TMAT curriculum implementation should be at the hands of seasoned mathematics teachers. In addition, they seem to consider curriculum implementation and management to be solely about ensuring curriculum coverage. We argue that to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the TMAT curriculum, there is a need for the continuous professional development of DHs, such that they are able to balance external forces and internal forces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Curriculum Development in Mathematics Education)
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20 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Teachers, Learners and Edu-Business Co-Constructing Mathematics Curriculum Implementation: An Insider’s Lens in Cross-Phase Longitudinal Research
by Jennie Golding
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121322 - 30 Nov 2024
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Abstract
This paper draws on a five-component, large-scale, longitudinal and cross-phase mathematics curriculum implementation study in England from the vantage point of an insider to overlapping school, policy and edu-business actor communities. It probed those actors’ emergent co-interpretation of, and response to, a new [...] Read more.
This paper draws on a five-component, large-scale, longitudinal and cross-phase mathematics curriculum implementation study in England from the vantage point of an insider to overlapping school, policy and edu-business actor communities. It probed those actors’ emergent co-interpretation of, and response to, a new mathematics curriculum in England, analysing the ways in which edu-businesses, teachers and learners mediate mathematics curriculum policy documents through their own interpretations and schema. The combination of common ‘classroom-close’ research tools supported synergies of cross-phase and longitudinal lenses. The paper contributes an enhanced conceptualisation of inter-actor influence, a theorisation of learner as policy actor, and an understanding of constraints on mathematics policy-driven change at teacher and learner levels, including challenges to communication of intended curriculum policy, across phases of schooling. The approach appears fruitful for analysis of the experience and mediation of mathematics curriculum policy by key policy actors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Curriculum Development in Mathematics Education)
27 pages, 5945 KiB  
Article
A Content Analysis of the Algebra Strand of Six Commercially Available U.S. High School Textbook Series
by Mary Ann Huntley, Maria S. Terrell and Nicole L. Fonger
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080845 - 5 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Algebra as a school subject is ill defined. Students experience algebra quite differently depending on the perspective of algebra taken by authors of the textbooks from which they learn. Through a content analysis of problems (n = 63,174) in the narrative and [...] Read more.
Algebra as a school subject is ill defined. Students experience algebra quite differently depending on the perspective of algebra taken by authors of the textbooks from which they learn. Through a content analysis of problems (n = 63,174) in the narrative and homework sections of six high school mathematics textbook series published in the U.S., we acquired systematic and reliable information about the algebra strand (i.e., symbolic algebra and functions) of each textbook series. We introduce plots to show the density, distribution, and sequencing of content, and present analyses of data for cognitive behavior, real-world context, technology, and manipulatives. Feedback on this study from an author of each textbook series is shared, and findings are discussed in terms of students’ opportunities to learn. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Curriculum Development in Mathematics Education)
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