Integrating Student Reasoning and Mathematics in Instruction: A New Research Perspective

Abstract

Traditional mathematics education prioritizes content transmission, often overlooking the intricate ways students’ reasoning and understanding are constructed. This research perspective proposes Integrating Student Reasoning and Mathematics in Instruction (ISRMI) as a novel approach that centers student thinking, integrating it seamlessly with formal mathematical concepts and procedures. ISRMI emphasizes tasks promoting explanation and justification, enabling educators to uncover and build upon existing student reasoning patterns. By challenging teacher-centered knowledge transfer, ISRMI empowers students to apply reasoning skills to solve problems, ultimately fostering deeper conceptual understanding and motivation in learning mathematics. While potential challenges lie in teacher training, curriculum design, and assessment of student reasoning, the potential benefits of improved problem-solving, engagement, and critical thinking skills necessitate further exploration and development of effective ISRMI implementation strategies. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research questions of this study are pursued using a systematic research analysis. We stress the importance of advancing research on integrating student reasoning and mathematics in instruction. We discuss many methods for incorporating student reasoning and mathematics into classroom instruction. We conducted this research by systematically searching and screening for relevant research articles through secondary sources and analyzing them to answer our scientific question. This research is a descriptive study. Secondary data was collected from various sources, such as magazines, journals, other publications, etc. This data was then analyzed and reviewed for inferences and conclusions. Findings/Result: Integrating student reasoning and mathematics in instruction can be the foundation for building a common locus between mathematics and reasoning abilities in educational practice.