Mathematical Symbols in Academic Writing: The Case of Incorporating Mathematical Ideals in Academic Writing for Education Researchers

Mathematical symbols, such as those embodying quantum concepts, are indispensable for conveying complex ideas and relationships in academic writing. However, some education researchers and students keep a distance from anything mathematical: algebraic equations, geometrical reasoning, or statistical symbols. How to lower the access threshold for this type of mathematical narrative and reveal the meanings of a range of quantum conceptions to modern educators thus becomes a real problem. Using the pendulum motion equation as a reference point, I argue in this article for the advantages of academic English or French writing genres that fuse a range of mathematical symbols of quantum concepts and conceptual change. Such writings help demonstrate how incorporating the idea of probability (a) refines the debate among conceptual, verbal, and mathematical academic writing; (b) allows new conceptions that draw on the insights from quantum cognition-supported theories; (c) helps explain students' understanding of mathematical symbols; and (d) offers a new taxonomy for categorizing academic writings.