Advances in the Scientific Interplay of Mathematics and Language, Literature, and Education

A special issue of Mathematics (ISSN 2227-7390). This special issue belongs to the section "Mathematics and Computer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 22811

Special Issue Editor

Department of Language and Literature Education, Faculty of Education, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: applied linguistics; statistics; critical discourse analysis; teacher training

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue invites high-quality papers that bring together the fields of Mathematics and Language in all their possible perspectives. We aim to examine the potentialities and limits of this symbiosis which, at first sight, may seem very distant methodologically.

Since the 1940s, continuous attempts have been made to converge methodologies to create linguistic–mathematical models both of algebraic and statistical nature: Zipf’s Law of rank-frequency distribution of words or the mathematical formalization of the regularization of English irregular verbs come to mind. When it comes to literature, we can highlight the great array of literary works with mathematical topics as contents, the good roster of writers who are mathematicians, or mathematical concepts used to analyze fictional discourses. In the field of education, the interplay between these two areas is focused on, among others, the use of literary works for mathematics education, the interrelation between literacy and numeracy, or the validation of statistical models to understand learning processes.

Some areas of interest may include theoretical and applied linguistics, applied mathematics, mathematics education, statistics, computational linguistics, teacher training, literary theory, communication theory, discourse analysis, etc.

Submissions should conform to varied approaches: quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, historiography, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses.

Dr. Juan Ramón Guijarro Ojeda
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Mathematics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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

  • mathematical linguistics
  • statistics
  • applied linguistics
  • computational linguistics
  • literary theory
  • teacher training
  • learning theory

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 1673 KiB  
Article
Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Mathematics Achievement? A Case Study of University Students in Social Sciences
by Anja Žnidaršič, Alenka Brezavšček, Gregor Rus and Janja Jerebic
Mathematics 2022, 10(13), 2314; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math10132314 - 01 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4296
Abstract
This study examines the effects of COVID-19-related measures on the mathematics achievement of university students in social sciences in Slovenia. Our particular concern was to compare two student populations (pre-pandemic and pandemic) in terms of factors affecting student performance in mathematics courses. Data [...] Read more.
This study examines the effects of COVID-19-related measures on the mathematics achievement of university students in social sciences in Slovenia. Our particular concern was to compare two student populations (pre-pandemic and pandemic) in terms of factors affecting student performance in mathematics courses. Data were collected over nine consecutive academic years (from 2013–2014 to 2020–2021) and analyzed using two-stage structural equation modelling (SEM). The analyses confirmed that the conceptual model developed before the pandemic was applicable during the pandemic period. For both populations (pre-pandemic and pandemic), mathematics confidence, perceived level of math anxiety, background knowledge from secondary school, and self-engagement in mathematics courses at university were confirmed as factors influencing mathematics achievement. Moreover, both populations perceived the effects of the factors in the same way, and the magnitude of the effects is comparable. The rather high values of determination coefficient for mathematics achievement (greater than 0.66 for both student populations) indicate that the variables “Perceived Level of Math Anxiety” and “Self-Engagement in Mathematics Course at University” together explain a significant proportion of the total variance before and during the pandemic. Consequently, the results of our case study indicated that pandemic measures did not have a significant impact on our students’ mathematics achievement. Although a more in-depth study of a broader sample of academic courses would be needed to confirm our findings, our experience indicates that mathematics courses at the tertiary level of education can be successfully delivered online. Full article
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15 pages, 317 KiB  
Article
A Correlational Predictive Study of Teacher Well-Being and Professional Success in Foreign Language Student Teachers
by Manuel Jesús Cardoso-Pulido, Juan Ramón Guijarro-Ojeda and Cristina Pérez-Valverde
Mathematics 2022, 10(10), 1720; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math10101720 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3881
Abstract
The teaching profession has an important emotional burden that, together with the erosion of different elements that compose it from continuous educational reform to the bad behavior and demotivation of students has led to many teachers experiencing physical and psychological illness or leaving [...] Read more.
The teaching profession has an important emotional burden that, together with the erosion of different elements that compose it from continuous educational reform to the bad behavior and demotivation of students has led to many teachers experiencing physical and psychological illness or leaving the profession. Nevertheless, studies and interventions in this regard are still insufficient in the Spanish context. This situation also exponentially affects pre-service teachers, which according to numerous studies is the stage during which the diminishing of teacher well-being begins and consolidates. Within this panorama, with this study the authors pursue to determine which dimensions of teacher well-being are capable of predicting the professional success of 88 pre-service primary education teachers who specialize in a foreign language so that they can be addressed in the training process. To this end, an ex post facto study was carried out correlating the following instruments: the Teacher Distress Questionnaire, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey with an adaptation of the Rueda de la vida escolar sobre el éxito y la satisfacción laboral del docente (Wheel of school life on teacher success and job satisfaction). Multiple linear regression revealed that of all the variables studied for teacher well-being (intrinsic motivation, expectations about good professional performance, professional distress, professional exhaustion, irrational beliefs, emotional intelligence and burnout) only emotional intelligence and intrinsic motivation have the ability to predict the success of teachers in training in their future professional performance. This result is of paramount importance for reconsidering the training that teachers receive during their university stage, which currently and substantially prioritizes the cognitive component over psychosocial and emotional components. Full article
24 pages, 4339 KiB  
Article
Visual Poetry and Real Context Situations in Mathematical Problem Posing and Solving: A Study of the Affective Impact
by Alexandre Bataller, Irene Ferrando and Agustín Reyes-Torres
Mathematics 2022, 10(10), 1647; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math10101647 - 12 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1850
Abstract
Affective aspects are key mediators in the learning process. Whereas some of them can be associated with a certain discipline, others are situational and connected with specific activities that trigger positive emotions. This study analyzes these affective aspects based on two ways of [...] Read more.
Affective aspects are key mediators in the learning process. Whereas some of them can be associated with a certain discipline, others are situational and connected with specific activities that trigger positive emotions. This study analyzes these affective aspects based on two ways of approaching mathematical problems: problem posing and problem solving. In both cases, the starting point will be situations presented in multimodal representation, but with three different mediating elements: a real situation close to the students’ reality (text with data and image), a real situation far from the students’ reality (text with data and image), and a visual poem (hybrid text with implicit mathematical content that generates critical reading and provokes an aesthetic emotion). The aim is to explore the extent to which the mediating elements have affective and performance implications. To this end, an investigation was designed with future primary school teachers. As will be shown, the results, both in terms of performance and affective factors, are different for problem posing and problem solving. Problem posing based on a visual poem is a stimulating challenge for future teachers. However, in problem solving, as this study shows, the problem posed in a remote real situation is more successful in both performance and affective aspects. Full article
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20 pages, 4109 KiB  
Article
On the Interplay of Mathematics and Education: Advancing Computational Discovery from Recognition to Observation
by Sergei Abramovich
Mathematics 2022, 10(3), 359; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math10030359 - 25 Jan 2022
Viewed by 2137
Abstract
The paper promotes the notion of computational experiment supported by a multi-tool digital environment as a means of the development of new mathematical knowledge in the context of education. The main study of the paper deals with the issues of teaching this knowledge [...] Read more.
The paper promotes the notion of computational experiment supported by a multi-tool digital environment as a means of the development of new mathematical knowledge in the context of education. The main study of the paper deals with the issues of teaching this knowledge to secondary teacher candidates within a graduate capstone mathematics education course. The interplay of mathematics and education is considered through the lens of using technology to enhance one’s mathematical background by advancing ideas from mostly known to genuinely unknown. In this paper, the knowns consist of Fibonacci numbers, Pascal’s triangle, and continued fractions; among the unknowns are Fibonacci-like polynomials and generalized golden ratios in the form of cycles of various lengths. The paper discusses the interplay of pragmatic and epistemic uses of digital tools by the learners of mathematics. The data for the study were collected over the years through solicited comments by teacher candidates enrolled in the capstone course. The main results indicate the candidates’ appreciation of the need for deep mathematical knowledge as an instrument of the modern-day pedagogy aimed at making high schoolers interested in the subject matter. Full article
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21 pages, 3775 KiB  
Article
Escape Room Dual Mode Approach to Teach Maths during the COVID-19 Era
by Nuria Rosillo and Nicolas Montes
Mathematics 2021, 9(20), 2602; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math9202602 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2875
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and its social implications generate adverse psychological effects that affect success in education where educational methodologies are not ready to overcome the problem. This article presents the design and evaluation of a gamification activity, the Escape Room, applied to the [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its social implications generate adverse psychological effects that affect success in education where educational methodologies are not ready to overcome the problem. This article presents the design and evaluation of a gamification activity, the Escape Room, applied to the subjects in Pharmacy and Nursing. The objective of using the Escape Room is to reduce the impact that COVID-19 has on students’ academic performance due to the psychological effects and the change in educational modality with which the vast majority of activities are carried out online. The Escape Room presented in this article is based on the search for a scientist who is fleeing with the COVID-19 vaccine around the world and the students have to find it by passing tests and missions related to mathematics. Due to the COVID measures imposed by the university, where double presentiality was imposed, the proposed Escape Room has the peculiarity of being designed in dual format, that is, allowing students to connect in face-to-face mode, online, or a mixture of both, depending on the maximum capacity of the classroom, the number of positive cases in the group, quarantines, etc. As a result, a great impact is shown on the initial perception of students towards mathematics and a null impact of the COVID-19 effect on the academic performance of students. Full article
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18 pages, 1383 KiB  
Article
Challenges and Opportunities: Experiences of Mathematics Lecturers Engaged in Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn and Olivia Fitzmaurice
Mathematics 2021, 9(18), 2303; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math9182303 - 18 Sep 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 7462
Abstract
In this paper, we consider the experiences of mathematics lecturers in higher education and how they moved to emergency remote teaching during the initial university closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted in May–June 2020 which received 257 replies [...] Read more.
In this paper, we consider the experiences of mathematics lecturers in higher education and how they moved to emergency remote teaching during the initial university closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted in May–June 2020 which received 257 replies from respondents based in 29 countries. We report on the particular challenges mathematics lecturers perceive there to be around teaching mathematics remotely, as well as any advantages or disadvantages of teaching mathematics online that they report. Over 90% of respondents had little or no prior experience teaching mathematics online, and, initially, 72% found it stressful and 88% thought it time-consuming. 88% felt there was a difference between teaching mathematics in this way compared with other disciplines. Four main types of challenges were associated with emergency remote teaching of mathematics: technical challenges; student challenges; teaching challenges; and the nature of mathematics. Respondents identified flexibility as the main advantage of online teaching, with lack of interaction featuring strongly as a disadvantage. We also consider respondents’ personal circumstances during this time, in terms of working conditions and caring responsibilities and conclude by summarizing the impact they perceive this experience may have upon their future teaching. Forty-six percent% of respondents self-identified as having caring responsibilities, and 61% felt the experience would affect their future teaching. Full article
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29 pages, 1505 KiB  
Systematic Review
Teaching and Learning of Mathematics through CLIL, CBI, or EMI—A Systematic Literature Review
by Raúl Ruiz-Cecilia, Leopoldo Medina-Sánchez and Antonio-Manuel Rodríguez-García
Mathematics 2023, 11(6), 1347; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/math11061347 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4526
Abstract
This study provides a systematic literature review of research in the field of teaching and learning mathematics through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Content-Based Instruction (CBI), and English Medium Instruction (EMI). The review aims to examine the most relevant literature with a [...] Read more.
This study provides a systematic literature review of research in the field of teaching and learning mathematics through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Content-Based Instruction (CBI), and English Medium Instruction (EMI). The review aims to examine the most relevant literature with a focus on mathematics and CLIL, CBI, or EMI in Scopus and Web of Science per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. Based on 151 sources, 52 papers were selected according to predefined selection criteria. The papers were analysed and coded according to the following categories: (1) geographical productivity, (2) diachronic productivity growth, (3) main objectives, (4) methodology, and research design, (5) variables and measurement instruments, (6) context and sample details, and (7) main findings. The results reveal that most of the research analysed has been carried out in the Asian continent, followed by Europe. The analysis of diachronic productivity shows that the study of the application of CLIL, CBI, and EMI programs in the teaching-learning process of mathematics has notably increased in recent years, especially in the last triennium (2020–2022). Regarding the objectives of the selected corpus, the majority aimed at teaching practices and learning processes, and outcomes in mathematics and language proficiency in CLIL, CBI, and/or EMI classrooms. The corpus analysed fits within one or more of the following categories: empirical, qualitative, descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional. The samples utilized in different studies differ significantly, both in terms of quantity –ranging from one person to 700– and in the educational level being studied, which would be primary, secondary, or tertiary education. The main variables studied in the corpus focus on mathematical competence, language proficiency, teaching practices, teacher training, science competence, and teachers’ perceptions. The most widely used instruments have been objective tests, such as questionnaires, together with standardized tests to measure some aspects related to mathematical competence and language proficiency. They are followed by an analysis of documents (academic records, teaching materials, official documents...), participant or non-participant observation, interviews, and video and audio recordings. In summary, in the scientific literature analysed, a positive or neutral view predominates on the effects of the CLIL, CBI, and EMI approaches on the learning of mathematics and the L2. This can be due to methodological issues fundamentally related to the methodology, research design, sample, and measurement instruments. Thus, we must highlight that some of the results from the selected papers must be interpreted with caution. Taking this factor into consideration, further comparative studies on a wider scale are required to examine thoroughly the effects of CLIL, CBI, and EMI on the teaching and learning of mathematics in an L2. Besides, it is important to study in greater depth the different levels of language acquisition since the research analysed shows that these have not been sufficiently addressed in the mathematical field of knowledge. Full article
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