Chemistry and Mathematics: Research and Frameworks To Explore Student Reasoning

Abstract

Chemistry education research (CER) as a field is inherently interdisciplinary and has traditionally borrowed ideas, frameworks, and methodologies from other fields, such as anthropology, psychology, cognitive science, and science education more broadly. In this paper we encourage researchers to continue this tradition by utilizing the rich body of literature that exists outside of CER, specifically looking to communities interested in mathematics education and physics education to expand the research carried out in our field. Previous work situated in university-level mathematics and physics involves considerations and concerns shared by the chemistry education community, such as integrating conceptual and mathematical reasoning during problem solving. We also briefly discuss and draw attention to a recent ACS Symposium Series book, It’s Just Math: Research on Students’ Understanding of Chemistry and Mathematics, that illustrates the rich area of inquiry at the interface of chemistry and mathematics. An overview of frameworks that have been productive for investigating students’ mathematical reasoning in a chemistry context is provided, encouraging researchers to engage in work that crosses disciplinary boundaries and promotes discussion between experts from different fields.