Developing the Mathematical Competence of Future Chemists Through an Adaptive–Integrative Approach

Abstract

Mathematical preparedness is a recurring bottleneck in undergraduate chemistry programmes, where students are expected to move fluently between abstract mathematical reasoning and discipline-specific representations of chemical phenomena. This paper proposes and conceptually examines an adaptive–integrative approach to developing the mathematical competence of future chemists, in which “adaptive” denotes the systematic orientation of mathematical content toward the professional field of chemistry, and “integrative” denotes the meaningful embedding of mathematical concepts within authentic chemical contexts. Drawing on a structured review of research in chemistry education, competence-based mathematics instruction, and integrated STEM pedagogy, the study identifies four design principles: (i) discipline-anchored selection of mathematical content; (ii) context-based and modelling-oriented tasks; (iii) differentiated, adaptive support of learners with heterogeneous mathematical backgrounds; and (iv) authentic, competence-oriented assessment. A pedagogical model linking these principles to the cognitive, operational, motivational, and reflective components of mathematical competence is presented. The discussion outlines testable hypotheses for future quasi-experimental studies in chemistry teacher education and industrial chemistry programmes.