Innovamat Research Lab

Math Learning Research

The latest research on math learning, available to all.

Innovamat Research Series

The Evidence, Explained

We synthesize research findings from different fields relevant to math learning and make them accessible to the educational community.

Does it work? How to assess the evidence behind a mathematics program

Evidence on the effectiveness of a math program.

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What impact do math programs have?

How much evidence exists, what improvements are realistic to expect, and what conditions amplify them.

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What does it take to learn math?

A map of the factors that most influence learning, and those a school can change.

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New Research Insights, Moving Knowledge Forward

We run our own studies on how mathematical proficiency develops and on the things that speed it up or get in the way.

PISA 2025

The socioeconomic gap in the OECD has not narrowed

The disproportionate decline in learning among high socioeconomic status students in PISA 2025 is due to a measurement change.

Authors: Marc Colomer, Eudald Correig, Isaac Sayol, Lucas Gortazar (EsadeEcPol) & Lucía Cobreros (EsadeEcPol).

An attractor account of numerosity readout

Model of the whole numbers as memories, unifying precise recognition of small quantities and rough estimation of larger ones within a single mechanism for number perception.

Author: Eudald Correig.

Research Paper

Play and Mathematics in Early Childhood Education: Classifying and Analyzing Types of Play

This study proposes four types of play in early childhood education and shows how each one supports different mathematical processes. Combining them creates environments where mathematics emerges in an active, meaningful and playful way.

Authors: Judith Fábrega, Mequè Edo & Alba Torregrosa. (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona)

Research Paper

What Can Thousands of Students’ Answers Tell Us About Multiplication Tables?

This study analyzes millions of student responses to multiplication problems to understand how times tables are learned.

Authors: Maria Garcia, Cèlia Cortés, Marc Caelles, Marc Colomer & Laura Morera.

Feature Article

Chronometric Normalization for BYOD Digital Assessments: Separating Hardware Latency from Cognitive Fluency

The study proposes an analytical technique to prevent the device used from affecting the results of tests that take response time into account.

Authors: Eudald Correig, Carlos García, Marc Colomer & Brian Butterworth (University College London).

Research Paper

Development of arithmetic fluency from kindergarten to the end of elementary school

This study analyzes the evolution of students’ arithmetic fluency, and reveals that small differences at the beginning widen over time, so detecting difficulties early is key.

Author: Eudald Correig.

Feature Article

Decoding the most common mistakes in operations involving integers

Authors: Marta Herranz, Marc Colomer & Cecilia Calvo.

Research Paper

Less anxiety, more confidence: Motivated students learn better

Authors: Eudald Correig & Marta Herranz.

Brief Summary

PISA: Performance, motivation, and anxiety in mathematics. How are they related?

Author: Marc Colomer.

Feature Article

Our research topics

Math learning doesn’t sit inside one discipline, so neither does our research. We bring together experts from different fields to understand how students learn math and what schools can do to help.

Mathematics Education

We study teaching practices, instructional approaches, and learning environments that support meaningful mathematics learning.

Mathematics Cognition

We investigate how students develop, represent, and process mathematical knowledge, including strategies, misconceptions, and learning difficulties.

Implementation Science

We study the factors that shape how mathematics education programs are enacted, adapted, scaled, and sustained in real-world settings.

Impact Evaluation

We evaluate the effects of educational programs on student learning and other relevant outcomes using rigorous quantitative methods.

Assessment & Psychometrics

We develop, analyze, and validate assessment tools to measure mathematical knowledge and competencies reliably, validly, and at scale.

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Math Learning Research

The latest research on math learning, available to all.

The Evidence, Explained

We synthesize research findings from different fields relevant to math learning and make them accessible to the educational community.

Does it work? How to assess the evidence behind a mathematics program

What impact do math programs have?

What does it take to learn math?

New Research Insights, Moving Knowledge Forward

We run our own studies on how mathematical proficiency develops and on the things that speed it up or get in the way.

The socioeconomic gap in the OECD has not narrowed

An attractor account of numerosity readout

Play and Mathematics in Early Childhood Education: Classifying and Analyzing Types of Play

What Can Thousands of Students’ Answers Tell Us About Multiplication Tables?

Chronometric Normalization for BYOD Digital Assessments: Separating Hardware Latency from Cognitive Fluency

Development of arithmetic fluency from kindergarten to the end of elementary school

Decoding the most common mistakes in operations involving integers

Less anxiety, more confidence: Motivated students learn better

PISA: Performance, motivation, and anxiety in mathematics. How are they related?

Our research topics

Math learning doesn’t sit inside one discipline, so neither does our research. We bring together experts from different fields to understand how students learn math and what schools can do to help.

Mathematics Education

Mathematics Cognition

Implementation Science

Impact Evaluation

Assessment & Psychometrics

Innovamat Research Lab

In partnership with universities and research centers, we study how math is learned and evaluate the real impact of what we build.