A systematic literature review of troublesome mathematics concepts within STEM disciplines

A systematic approach, governed by the PICO framework, was undertaken to locate and analyse empirical research examining the perceptions and performance of students when learning troublesome mathematics concepts within STEM disciplines. A search was conducted across multiple databases following the design of search clauses and well-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Publications were screened for inclusion by screening and appraising results obtained from databases and keywords refined through a scoping study. The results present an overview of mathematics concepts identified as troublesome and evaluate new pedagogical interventions designed to address these in comparison to conventional methods of teaching. We conclude from our findings that future studies would benefit from more clear documentation of the evaluation of any practice-based interventions adopted and relevant comparison to parallel controls or traditional methods of teaching. Additionally, troublesome concepts need to be analysed in more depth from the lens of being potential threshold concepts to encourage the development of targeted interventions to enhance students’ conceptual understanding