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Open research questions in Mathematics Education and Programs

46 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 5,979 Mathematics Education and Programs papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • While the data from this study hinted at changes in belief among the pilot teachers, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that foundational change had occurred or was in the process of occurring. Areas for Future Research While mathematics curriculum reform is generally well studied (NCTM, 2000), this inquiry revealed that locating and understanding the barriers to curricular or pedagogical change represent gaps in the knowledge base. Understanding the types of forces that may hold sway over curricular or pedagogical changes is warranted.

    Mathematics Teachers’ Experiences with Curricular Change · 2026 · DOI

  • In this study, the limited duration of the intervention constrained the observation of long-term effects, 144 Integrating STEM and Mathematical Modeling… particularly for affective variables such as attitudes. Additionally, the research involved only eighth-grade students from a specific region, limiting the generalizability of the findings across different age groups and educational contexts. Future research could investigate the long-term retention effects of modeling-based STEM instruction through extended interventions spanning multiple grade levels. The impact of MM interventions explicitly structured using the 5E instructional model could also be experimentally examined to evaluate how guided inquiry stages contribute to the development of motivation and self-efficacy. Quantitative analyses grounded in EVT (e.g., mediation models) may help clarify the indirect effects of students’ expectancy beliefs and value perceptions on motivation. Finally, exploring factors such as teacher competencies, classroom interaction patterns, and the integration of technological tools could provide valuable insights into how these elements influence students’ engagement and achievement in modeling-based STEM learning.

    Integrating STEM and Mathematical Modeling in Middle School: An Investigation of Students’ Motivation, Attitudes, and Modeling Competence · 2026 · DOI

  • SEFI Mathematics Special Interest Group (MSIG) is primarily focused on addressing open questions on how to design and teach effective courses in mathematics that develop the mathematical competencies expected of 21st century engineering graduates.

    Special TEAMAT issue editorial: contributions from the SEFI Mathematics Special Interest Group Conference 2021 · 2022 · DOI

  • This is particularly apparent in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) disciplines, in which the lack of standard UK university matriculation requirements (two A levels) can increase the obstacles faced by vulnerable learners.

    How might mature students with low entry qualifications succeed in undergraduate science? · 2020 · DOI

  • AbstractFew studies on calculus limits have centred their focus on student understanding of limits at infinity or infinite limits that involve continuous functions (as opposed to discrete sequences).

    Calculus limits involving infinity: the role of students’ informal dynamic reasoning · 2014 · DOI

  • Little is known, however, about whether increasing interdisciplinary work can lead to adverse effects, such as the development of broader but shallower skills or the possibility that math anxiety causes some students to disengage in the classroom, or, paradoxically, to focus so much on the mathematics that they lose sight of its application for the biological concepts in the center of the unit at hand.

    A Study Assessing the Potential of Negative Effects in Interdisciplinary Math–Biology Instruction · 2011 · DOI

  • We address the current concerns about teaching‐to‐the‐test and its association with declining dispositions towards further study of mathematics and the consequences for choice of STEM subjects at university.

    The association between mathematics pedagogy and learners’ dispositions for university study · 2011 · DOI

  • Abstract Data from two sections of principles of economics at the University of South Carolina during the Spring semester of 1995 were employed to test conflicting results in the literature regarding the effect of math background on learning.

    The Effects of Mathematics Background on Student Learning in Principles of Economics · 1998 · DOI

  • How much of the loan remains to be repaid after 18 months? The conventional formulas that are used to answer such questions have been developed around the concepts of annuities and sinking funds.

    A Question of Interest · 1978 · DOI

  • With larger samples, heterogeneity by student characteristics could be further explored with greater statistical power, as well as potential moderators for the effects.

    Math, Mindset, and Growth: Building Quantitative Competencies in All · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing mathematics modules for engineers vary widely in this regard, with contextualisation integral to some modules but entirely absent from others.

    Contextual questions and their implications for engineering undergraduates’ attitudes towards mathematics · 2025 · DOI

  • The results provide quantitative evidence suggesting that the field of adult numeracy education is under-researched, and help to identify gaps in empirical research involving adult numeracy, including on emerging topics such as on modeling and critical interpretation.

    Adult education in mathematics and numeracy: a scoping review of recent research · 2024 · DOI

  • Within the proportion asserting the incentive is insufficient, a majority of participants suggested that a higher percentage bonus should be offered to students enrolled in Mathematics Specialist.

    Incentivising student enrolments in secondary mathematics courses: is a 10% bonus enough? · 2023 · DOI

  • While this standardized competence-oriented maturity examination is intended to increase pupils’ subject-related study ability, empirical research in this regard is scarce.

    Does a centralized written final examination in mathematics indeed improve pupils’ subject-related study ability? · 2023 · DOI

  • Prior research has documented an association between students' experiences in first‐year mathematics courses and graduation rates, but the influences of the mathematics courses completed and the grades earned are not fully understood.

    First mathematics course in college and graduating in engineering: Dispelling the myth that beginning in higher‐level mathematics courses is always a good thing · 2021 · DOI

  • This studyalso identifies gaps in the literature that need bridged to obtain a holistic view of mathematical modeling activities and their trueutility to the education of our engineering workforce.

    A review of mathematical modeling in engineering education · 2020

  • The offered solution is not universal, as it helps only fill the gaps in knowledge, but it cannot help acquire all knowledge and skills of elementary mathematics within several hours.

    One of opportunities to reduce student dropouts · 2019 · DOI

  • Given the urgent need to improve remedial math practices at community colleges and the gaps in the literature surrounding the issue, in this study, we focus on one particularly promising approach that may offer a solution: contextualization of remedial math instruction.

    Turning Math Remediation into “Homeroom:” Contextualization as a Motivational Environment for Community College Students in Remedial Math · 2017 · DOI

  • While considerable resources are invested in mathematics educational research and in nurturing future scholars, little is known about expertise in this field.

    Towards exploring expertise in mathematics education research: What are the requirements and duties of the researchers? · 2014 · DOI

  • The wanted changes involve the identification of core concepts and of the ways in which these should be studied for achieving complex competencies that are required by the 21st century society.

    TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION OF GEOGEBRA SOFTWARE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING · 2014 · DOI

  • Remedial courses, however, have shown mixed results at UPRM (Bartolomei, 2006) and elsewhere (Armario, 2010;Redden, 2008.

    Student Engagement and Completion in Precalculus Precalculus Mega Section: Efficiently Assisting Student Engagement and Completion with Communications and Information Technology · 2013

  • While research outlines the topics mathematicians consider to be the core concepts and skills of calculus, there is no consensus on what calculus might be needed for students in different disciplines nor how we might want our students to understand these ideas.

    Where does the calculus go? An investigation of how calculus ideas are used in later coursework · 2013 · DOI

  • Forward placing has not been assessed to determine whether participating students succeed at the higher level of math and are truly benefiting from this practice.

    ASSESSING THE DECISION TO Forward Place STUDENTS IN A MATH SEQUENCE · 2013

  • One limitation of the current research is that scholars have been unable to isolate the causal impact of such participation on the student's success in college-level mathematics because it is unreasonable to randomly assign students to a developmental program.

    Applying the Regression-Discontinuity Design to Infer Causality with Non-Random Assignment · 2006 · DOI

  • Given the arrival of computer software which can carry out these algorithms mechanically, the question arises as to what parts of calculus need to be studied in the curriculum of the future.

    A Versatile Approach to Calculus and Numerical Methods · 1990 · DOI

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46 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 5,979 Mathematics Education and Programs papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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