Effective Integration of the Affective Domain in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

Dear Colleagues,

Talking about mathematics is talking about a topic that leaves no one indifferent, provoking or evoking emotions that, too many times, are very negative. This fact causes states that are strongly linked to academic failure, which is not only in the framework of low performance, but also includes school dropout, low self-esteem, rejection of mathematics and serious limitations when solving problems, or interpreting information, in our daily lives in situations that require a certain degree of mathematical competence.

The OECD, ultimately responsible for the PISA report, points out that “too many students around the world are trapped in a vicious cycle of poor performance and demotivation that only leads to even worse results and school dropout.” The resolution of this problem cannot and should not be based on opinions, intuitions or informal inferences from one’s own experiences but rather requires the rigor and objectivity that research in mathematics education provides. In particular, there are already well-established lines of work focused on affective issues in mathematics and their influence both on student performance and on their way of seeing and living mathematics.

Attitudes toward mathematics, beliefs about its nature or about how it is taught and learned, mathematical self-concepts, anxiety toward mathematics, and the perception of its difficulty and usefulness are some of the ingredients of an affective domain whose characterization, dynamics, and behavior are an issue that, although not completely resolved, already has a leading role that is at least increasing and with notable advances, especially in terms of diagnosis.

The challenge now is how to take advantage of all that we already know and all that we continue to learn to reduce academic failure in mathematics and move toward a more competent and mathematically happier society.

This Special Issue calls for evidence from research that provides sound knowledge to allow an effective inclusion of the affective domain in the teaching and learning of mathematics. Both quantitative and qualitative studies are welcome, as well as mixed-methods-based ones. In particular, this Special Issue is concerned with—but not restricted to—the following topics:

• Advances in the measurement of affective domain variables (new tools, techniques, procedures, etc.);
• (Re)Conceptualization of the affective domain in mathematics;
• Integration of the affective domain in universal designs for learning in mathematics;
• The affective domain as a teacher’s specialized knowledge;
• Affective domain and learning difficulties, disorders, and disabilities in mathematics.

Prof. Dr. José María Marbán
Guest Editor

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