CFP: Mathematics and Effective STEM Learning, International Journal of STEM Education

[Mathematics Education Researchers (MER) community]

The pursuit of new discoveries and innovation increasingly requires cross-disciplinary collaboration in the scientific and technological community. This broad movement calls for transformative efforts to promote multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and practice in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. However, school curricula and university programs often emphasize the acquisition of subject-specific knowledge in isolation. As a result, meaningful connections within and across STEM disciplines are frequently underdeveloped. Changes are therefore needed to develop and support effective STEM learning that promotes knowledge integration and the development of cross-disciplinary thinking.

This issue is particularly relevant to mathematics, a discipline widely regarded as both essential and challenging. Because mathematics underpins all STEM fields, success in learning mathematics can strengthen students’ confidence and increase their interest in pursuing STEM-related careers. However, mathematics has long been perceived as a gatekeeper, influencing individual students’ academic trajectories as well as the development of a nation’s STEM workforce.

The need for change is increasingly urgent as STEM workforce development has become a national priority across educational systems worldwide. Given the foundational role of mathematics in all STEM disciplines, greater attention must be given to both what is emphasized in mathematics education and how it is taught and learned, particularly when instruction neglects sense-making and the development of students’ thinking. Rather than viewing mathematics as a fixed body of “given” knowledge to be transmitted and acquired, it should be understood as a dynamic and accessible body of ideas that evolves through mathematical practices experienced by students. Greater attention should therefore be given to the mathematical practices that enable students to connect ideas within and beyond mathematics, as well as to real-world contexts and other STEM fields. These include problem solving, reasoning, mathematical modeling, representation, making connections, communication, and the handling and interpretation of quantitative data. Strengthening these practices is essential for developing deeper understanding and preparing students to engage effectively with complex problems in STEM fields.

This call-based collection aims to foster meaningful dialogue on reimagining mathematics curriculum and instruction as integral to effective STEM learning, moving beyond a narrow view of mathematics as merely a set of tools and procedures applied in STEM fields. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of sense-making and the development of students’ thinking, not only within mathematics but also across STEM disciplines. We invite scholarly contributions that critically engage with the role of mathematics in advancing effective STEM learning, including (but not limited to) the following questions:

1. Conceptualizing effective STEM learning across disciplines:

How can effective STEM learning be conceptualized and enacted across disciplinary boundaries, with mathematics positioned as an essential and integrative component that supports students’ understanding?

2. Connections with computational and scientific practices:

How can mathematics support conceptual understanding and the development of thinking through connections with computational thinking and practices in science and engineering? For example, how can mathematical modeling be meaningfully taught and learned through engagement with scientific and engineering practices?

3. Reframing the mathematics curriculum in the age of GenAI:

How can mathematics curricula be refocused on essential ideas and practices in a context where emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), can perform many calculations and related procedures traditionally expected of students?

4. Advancing interdisciplinary and technology-enhanced learning:

How can mathematical ideas be made more accessible, relevant, and meaningful through multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, particularly within learning environments supported by emerging technologies such as GenAI?

This collection, Mathematics and Effective STEM Learning, invites empirical studies, research syntheses, and scholarly commentaries that advance our understanding of how the teaching and learning of mathematics, as a foundational component of STEM, can be transformed to support effective STEM learning. Through this collection, we aim to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and contribute to the advancement of discipline-based educational research and practices across diverse STEM fields. We seek high-quality contributions that build upon or extend existing theoretical and empirical frameworks. We also encourage submissions that offer balanced and critical perspectives on the evolving role of AI in mathematics and STEM education, highlighting both its transformative potential and the challenges and limitations it may present.

Notes for Prospective Contributors

This call-based collection welcomes submissions of Research Articles, Reviews, and Commentaries. Submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished works and should not be under review or consideration for publication elsewhere.


More: https://link.springer.com/collections/hehbdefjia