Instructional Design for Problem-Based Learning in Mathematics Education: A Descriptive Evidence-Mapping Review

Abstract

Purpose: This study mapped problem-based learning (PBL) instructional configurations in mathematics education and the cognitive and affective outcomes examined across educational levels. Methods: A descriptive evidence-mapping review used a previously assembled 2015–2023 literature inventory identified through Scopus, Google Scholar, and Publish or Perish. The reported selection process contained 39 entries. Because complete search strings, the final search date, and stage-specific exclusion reasons were unavailable, these details were not reconstructed. A source-level scope audit excluded four entries whose mathematics relevance could not be established confidently, leaving 35 studies for analysis. Findings: The analytical set comprised five elementary, 15 junior high school, 11 senior high school, and four higher education studies. Configurations included PBL without a named additional approach, culturally contextualized designs, technology-supported formats, and strategy-linked arrangements. Outcomes included problem solving, critical thinking, mathematical literacy, communication, retention, motivation, and self-efficacy; comparator advantages and nonsignificant affective findings were also present. Research Implications: The synthesis supports explicit alignment among problem tasks, instructional supports, comparators, and assessment, while avoiding claims of uniform PBL superiority. Originality: The review connects educational level, instructional configuration, and outcome domain in a common descriptive map while making limitations in the available review record explicit.