Institutional conditions and transformative teaching practices in mathematics education: A systematic review based on the theory of practice architectures

Rosy Kyakimwe Kaliki, Kavish Jawahar, Wanjala Gidraf Joseph, Lekia Nkpordee, Julius Alochere Basake and Kasereka Lutswamba Jean

African Educational Research Journal
Published: September 7 2026
Volume 14, Issue 3
Pages 637-661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22640461

Abstract

Despite sustained investments in curriculum reform, teacher professional development, and educational policy, improvements in mathematics teaching and learning remain inconsistent across many education systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and other resource-constrained contexts. Much of the existing reform agenda has focused on strengthening teachers' competencies while paying comparatively little attention to the institutional conditions that shape classroom practice. This systematic review examines how institutional conditions influence transformative teaching practices in mathematics education through the analytical lens of the Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA). Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar, covering studies published between 2015 and 2025. Fifty studies that met the predefined inclusion criteria were synthesized using thematic analysis. The review identified four interconnected themes: cultural-discursive arrangements, material-economic arrangements, socio-political arrangements, and institutional support as the central mechanism linking these dimensions. The findings indicate that transformative mathematics teaching depends on the interaction of institutional beliefs, leadership, professional collaboration, policy implementation, and resource availability rather than on teacher competence alone. The review further demonstrates that coherent institutional environments strengthen learner-centred pedagogies, whereas fragmented leadership, inadequate resources, and weak professional support constrain instructional innovation. The study concludes that sustainable improvements in mathematics education require integrated institutional reforms that align educational policy, instructional leadership, professional learning, and resource investment to support transformative teaching practices and improve learner outcomes.

Keywords: Mathematics education, transformative pedagogy, institutional conditions, theory of practice architectures, systematic review.

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