Proof and Argumentation in K-12 Mathematics: A Review of Conceptions, Content, and Support

Current international curriculum frameworks and research advocate for K-12 mathematics to emphasize proof and argumentation. This review synthesizes literature related to conceptions, content, and supportive actions for proof and argumentation across four grade-level bands: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Our systematic search and subsequent screening process yielded 76 articles for coding and analysis. The findings suggest (a) a variety of conceptualizations that are imbalanced amongst the grade bands, (b) there is more research related to proof and argumentation in middle (6-8) and high school (9-12) compared to elementary school (K-5), (c) the type of content used to solicit argumentation is not well-balanced, and (d) supportive actions include aspects related to classroom culture, individual accountability, and conjecturing before justifying.