About this Research Topic

Background

Many students have difficulty understanding mathematics, largely due to its abstract nature. Most mathematical concepts do not consist of visible, tangible objects; instead, they include abstract objects, such as numerical symbols and the equal sign. Visualization offers a powerful way to convey this abstract content. An effective visual (e.g., a coordinate plane) can highlight the key aspects of mathematical concepts and form a corresponding representation in students’ minds. In fact, the effectiveness of visualization for conveying mathematical concepts and problem-solving approaches is well-replicated but with nuance. As an example, students who solve mathematical word problems using diagrams that represent the relations between problem statements (schematic representation) solve the problems more accurately than students who use pictorial representation (e.g., drawings of places portrayed in the problems). This is just one example of the importance of and the need for conducting in-depth research on visualization in mathematics to enhance learning outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to explore how the use of visualizations can enhance mathematics learning and performance. While geometry is often the first subject clearly associated with visualization, outcomes in other mathematics areas also benefit from visualization. For example, visualizing number patterns or modeling arithmetic operations helps students better understand abstract numerical and arithmetic concepts. Although some literature exists on visualization in geometry, the contributions of visualization to learning and performance are not well understood in many other areas of mathematics. Furthermore, research on visualization should not be limited to elementary and secondary mathematics education; it should also address the need for understanding visualization in advanced high school- and university-level mathematics. Extending research to these levels is essential for fostering a deeper understanding of visualization in across mathematics domains.

Further, to fully address these gaps, a holistic approach to visualization research is necessary. This includes but is not limited to exploring students’ and teachers’ visuals, analyzing visuals in mathematics books and curriculum, conducting intervention studies on visualization, and examining the application of visualization in special education. By adopting this comprehensive view, researchers can develop effective strategies to integrate visualization into mathematics education, making abstract concepts more accessible and enhancing learning outcomes at all levels.

To gather further insights in the sophisticated application of visualization in math education, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Impact of Visualization in Math Learning and Creativity
• Characteristics of Effective Visualizations in Math
• Visualization and Mathematical Creativity
• Bridging Gaps between Teacher and Student Visualization
• Improving Student-Centered Visual Strategies
• Visualization in Math Textbooks
• Digital Tools and Strategies for Math Visualization
• Assessing Visualization in Math
• Visualization for Math in Special Education
• Evaluating Visualization Interventions
• Integrating Visualization into Math Curriculum

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy Brief
• Review

Keywords: Visualization, Math Teaching, Math Learning, Students' Drawing, Teachers' Visualization

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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