Mathematics learning in physics classrooms of Russian schools: a changing landscape from the Soviet period to the present

Abstract

For a long time, Soviet students learned ‘pure’ mathematics in their mathematics classrooms, while applications of mathematics were introduced in their science (mainly physics) classrooms. This approach was a part of a uniform and rigid national curriculum. Even when in the 1990s the world was moving towards including applications in school mathematics, Russian students continued to engage in pure mathematics learning in their mathematics classrooms. It was physics teachers’ responsibility to teach applications of mathematics; therefore, physics courses were highly mathematics-intensive, making extensive use of mathematics from algebra to calculus in the formulation of scientific laws and the investigation of their consequences. The collapse of the Soviet Union and some liberalization in educational policy led to changes in graduation requirements in mathematics and physics as well as diversity in mathematics and physics curricula in schools. Based on a review of textbooks, standards, curriculum documents, and other resources, in this paper we analyze changes that affected the teaching and learning of mathematics in physics classrooms in Russia from the Soviet period to the present.