Teachers’ conceptions of the role of mathematics in STEM higher education

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Бібліографічні деталі
Опубліковано в::	Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research vol. 7, no. 1 (Dec 2025), p. 15
Автор:	Koerfer, Ebba
Інші автори:	Polverini, Giulia, Elmgren, Maja, Eriksson, Lars-Henrik, Freyhult, Lisa, Herbert, Roger B., Ho, Felix M., Solders, Andreas, Eckerdal, Anna
Опубліковано:	Springer Nature B.V.
Предмети:	Problem solving Teaching Higher education Students Computer science Success Curricula Mathematics education Chemistry University faculty STEM education Influence Teachers Cognition & reasoning Physics Science education Earth science Learning Literacy Educational Practices Educational Research Educational Methods Computer Science Education Mathematics Achievement Numeracy Mathematics Teachers Beliefs Fundamental Concepts Science Curriculum Mathematical Models Engineering Education Cognitive Structures Mathematical Concepts College Science Educational Strategies Programming Calculus
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Опис
Короткий огляд:	This empirical study investigates university teachers’ conceptions of the role of mathematics within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) higher education disciplines, employing a phenomenographic approach to capture variation among perspectives of educators in chemistry, computer science, geoscience, and physics. Despite the significant reliance on mathematics across these disciplines, little is known about how educators conceptualise its role. Our study aims to contribute to this research by performing a phenomenographic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers at a Swedish university. Through our analysis, we identified five hierarchically inclusive categories that represent increasingly sophisticated conceptions of the role of mathematics: as a computational tool, a language for communication, a key to understanding, an agent for development, and a philosophical foundation. These categories reflect both the instrumental and intrinsic roles that mathematics plays within other STEM disciplines, extending previous empirical findings that predominantly focus on students’ conceptions. We aim to raise awareness among educators, encouraging reflection on how their conceptions influence teaching and fostering a deliberate consideration of mathematics’ role in instruction. By understanding these varied conceptions, STEM educators can enhance instructional strategies and support student engagement with mathematics in a more meaningful way.
ISSN:	2662-2300
DOI:	10.1186/s43031-025-00135-x
Джерело:	Science Database