Reflective Practice and Emotional Engagement in Mathematics Education: A Case-Based Study of Situated Teacher Development in Latin America
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58355/dirosat.v4i2.231Keywords:
Reflective Practice, Emotional Engagement, Teacher Development, Teaching Practice, Mathematics Teachers.Abstract
Introduction: In-service teacher training that explicitly addresses metacognitive and socio-emotional dimensions is essential for reimagining mathematics teaching in the 21st century. This multiple case study examines how a situated professional development program in mathematics education fosters reflective practice, emotional engagement, and didactic-mathematical competencies in two primary school teachers working in rural and semi-urban schools in Panama. Methods: Within the framework of the EDEM diploma program, based on the Didactic-Mathematical Knowledge and Competencies Model (DMKC) and the Onto-Semiotic Approach, we implemented a qualitative multiple case study design. Data included written responses to pedagogical tasks in four modules, reflective essays, video presentations of each teacher's final project, and institutional feedback. A deductive coding scheme based on the six dimensions of the DMKC (epistemic, cognitive, affective, interactive, mediational, and ecological) was combined with an inductive thematic analysis of metacognitive regulation (planning, monitoring, and evaluation) and socio-emotional practices (empathy, resilience, and classroom climate). Three researchers independently coded the corpus and achieved inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa > 0.85). The study received approval from institutional ethics committees and the Panamanian Ministry of Education. Results: Both teachers showed development in epistemic, cognitive, and affective dimensions, with more modest progress in the mediational and ecological dimensions. They increasingly articulated self-regulated teaching cycles by planning lessons aligned with learning objectives, monitoring student thinking, and evaluating their pedagogical decisions. Socio-emotional evidence indicated greater empathy, concern for students' emotional safety, and resilience in the face of infrastructural and curricular barriers. The cross-case analysis revealed distinct DMKC profiles: one teacher excelled in maintaining classroom dialogue and developing strong relationships with students, while the other showed more pronounced progress in the cognitive and mediational dimensions, particularly in lesson design and the strategic use of teaching resources. Discussion: These findings suggest that professional development experiences based on daily practice and theory can jointly strengthen metacognitive self-regulation and socio-emotional competence in mathematics teachers. This growth appears to strengthen teachers' sense of empowerment and emotional commitment to their work. The study illustrates how contextualized programs like EDEM can foster systematic reflection on teaching and offer an analytical and humanizing process through which teachers examine their decisions, emotions, and interactions to strengthen their professional capacity and improve student learning experiences.
Downloads
References
Aldrup, K., Carstensen, B., Köller, M., & Klusmann, U. (2020). Measuring teachers’ social-emotional competence: development and validation of a situational judgment test. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(892), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00892
Blanco, A., Morales, L., & Font, V. (2022). Reflexiones socioemocionales en la formación docente en matemáticas. Paradigma, 45(2).
Brown, E. L., Valenti, M., Sweet, T., Mahatmya, D., Celedonia, K., & Bethea, C. (2020). How Social and Emotional Competencies Inform Special Educators’ Social Networks. Education and Treatment of Children, 43(3), 295– 311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-020-00022-2.
Cantillo-Rudas, B. M., Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., Moll, V. F., & Schnorr, C. E. (2024). Mathematical and neuro-mathematical connections activated by a teacher and his student in the geometric problems-solving. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(10), em2522.
Chica, O., Sánchez, J., & Pacheco, A. (2020). A look at teacher training in Colombia: the utopia of emotional training. Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana, 25(4), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3931081
Font, V., Breda, A., & Sala-Sebastià, G. (2024). Future teachers’ reflections on mathematical errors made in their teaching practice. ZDM–Mathematics Education, 1–13.
Font, V., Breda, A., & Sala-Sebastià, G. (2025). Characterising computational and geometric thinking in pre-service Early Childhood Education teachers by playing with MatataLab. Education and Information Technologies, 1–25.
Godino, J. D., Batanero, C., & Font, V. (2015). Teoría ontosemiótica del conocimiento y la instrucción matemática: Avances y perspectivas. Revista EMA, 20(2), 7–38.
Godino, J. D., Batanero, C., & Font, V. (2017). Fundamentos de la idoneidad didáctica en educación matemática. Educación Matemática, 29(2), 5–38.
Jennings, P., & Greenberg, M. (2009). The prosocial classroom: teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693
Jennings, P., Brown, J., Frank, J., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Davis, R., Rasheed, D., Deweese, A., Demauro, A., Cham, H., & Greenberg, M. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for teachers’ program on teachers ́social and emotional competence and classroom interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(7), 1010–1028. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000187.
Knigge, M., Krauskopf, K., & Wagner, S. (2019). Improving socio-emotional competencies using a staged video-based learning program? Results of two experimental studies. Frontiers in Education, 4(142), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00142
Ledezma, C., Morales, L., & Font, V. (2024). Experiencia educativa en modelización para docentes de matemática en Panamá. Alteridad, 19(1), 58–70.
Ledezma, C., Sánchez Brualla, A., Breda, A., & Font, V. (2024). Prospective Teachers’ Reflection on the Inclusion of Mathematical Modelling. Caminhos da Educação Matemática em Revista, 14(3), 26–43.
Lozano-Peña, G. M., Sáez-Delgado, F., López-Angulo, Y., Mella-Norambuena, J., Contreras-Saavedra, C., & Ramos-Huenteo, V. (2023). Programas de intervención docente en competencias socioemocionales: Una revisión sistemática de la literatura. Aula de Encuentro, 25(2), 215–241. https://doi.org/10.17561/ae.v25n2.7391
Lozano-Peña, G. M., Sáez-Delgado, F., & López-Angulo, Y. (2022). Competencias socioemocionales en docentes de primaria y secundaria: una revisión sistemática. Páginas de Educación, 15(1), 01-22. https://doi.org/10.22235/pe.v15i1.2598.
Morales, Y. (2023). Formación reflexiva situada de docentes en matemáticas: análisis desde la idoneidad didáctica [Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Granada]. https://enfoqueontosemiotico.ugr.es/tesis/Tesis_Morales.pdf
Morales-López, Y., & Font, V. (2024). Analysis performed by pre-service teachers in an emerging technological environment in mathematics education. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education REDIMAT, 13(1), 23-37 https://doi.org/10.17583/redimat.14072
Morales-López, Y., Breda, A., & Font, V. (2025). Modelos TPACK y DMKC: Algunas claves para promover la reflexión docente. Congreso de Educación Matemática de América Central y El Caribe.
Morales-Maure, L., García-Marimón, O., Chacón-Rivadeneira, K., Ponce, B. A., & Moll, V. F. (2025). Between the Epistemic and the Affective: Mapping Didactic Suitability in Mathematics Education from a Territorial Perspective. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 10(2), 195–206. https://doi.org/10.64753/jcasc.v10i2.1585
Morales-Maure, L., & García-Marimón, E. (2023). Prácticas reflexivas y desarrollo situado en formación matemática continua: Evidencia desde Panamá. Educación Matemática, 35(1).
Núñez-Gutiérrez, K., Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., Correa-Sandoval, L., & Moll, V. F. (2025). High school Colombian students’ variational thinking triggered by mathematical connections. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 20(1).
Olivero-Acuña, R. R., Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., Moll, V. F., & Cantillo-Rudas, B. M. (2025). Ethnomathematical connections in cheese production. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(4).
Pochulu, M. D., & Moll, V. F. (2025). Idoneidad didáctica de tareas de matemáticas reformuladas con inteligencia artificial. Paradigma, 46(1).
Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., González, H. A. C., Arenas-Peñaloza, J., & Schnorr, C. E. (2024). Onto-semiotic analysis of mathematical connections. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(5), em2438.
Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., Moll, V. F. (2025). Mathematical connections in multivariable calculus and vector problems. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(4), em2619.
Rodríguez-Nieto, C. A., Pabón-Navarro, M. L., Cantillo-Rudas, B. M., & Moll, V. F. (2025). The potential of ethnomathematical and mathematical connections in the pre-service mathematics teachers’ meaningful learning when problem-solving about brick-making. Infinity Journal, 14(2), 419–444.
Sáez-Delgado, F., López-Angulo, Y., Mella-Norambuena, J., Hartley, K., & Sepúlveda, F. (2023). Mental health in school teachers: An explanatory model with emotional intelligence and coping strategies. Electronic Journal of Research in Education Psychology, 21(61), 559–586. https://doi.org/10.25115/ejrep.v21i61.8322
Sáez-Delgado, F., Mella-Norambuena, J., & López-Angulo, Y. (2024). Psychometric properties of the SocioEmotional Skills Instrument for Teachers (SEMS-IT) using network approach: English and Spanish version. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1421164
Sala-Sebastià, G., Breda, A., & Font, V. (2025). Characterising computational and geometric thinking in pre-service Early Childhood Education teachers by playing with MatataLab. Education and Information Technologies, 1–25.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(2), 64–70.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Keila Chacón-Rivadeneira, Orlando García-Marimón, Luisa Morales-Maure, Agustín Torres Rodríguez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
