Between the Epistemic and the Affective: Mapping Didactic Suitability in Mathematics Education from a Territorial Perspective

Abstract

This article examines the perceived development of didactic suitability among in-service mathematics teachers in Panama, drawing on the Onto-Semiotic Approach to Mathematical Knowledge and Instruction (OSA; Spanish: Enfoque Ontosemiótico, OSA). Using a mixed-methods, interpretative design, we integrate a post-training self-assessment survey (five-point Likert scale) with territorial participation metadata from the national EDEM program (2017–2022). The sample comprises 420 in-service teachers from all ten provinces and three indigenous comarcas. Visual analytics—radar charts, violin plots, boxplots, and time-series/heat maps—were used to map variability across the six interrelated dimensions of didactic suitability: epistemic, cognitive, interactional, affective, ecological, and mediational. Mean perceived growth was highest in the epistemic and affective dimensions, while greater dispersion appeared in the ecological and mediational dimensions, particularly in underserved regions. The expanded discussion interprets these patterns vis-à-vis didactic suitability didactic suitability criteria and place-responsive teacher education, highlighting tensions between centralized policies and local constraints. Implications include strengthening context-sensitive resource ecologies, scaffolding dialogic classroom practices, and prioritizing territorial targeting for equity. Methodological transparency is enhanced by detailing the instrument, sampling frame, visualization pipeline, and ethics safeguards. This paper presents the first nationwide, OSA-aligned territorial map of teachers’ didactic suitability in Panama, operationalizes the six OSA dimensions with a reproducible instrument and visual analytics, and provides policy-ready indicators to monitor teacher development and steer equity-oriented e-learning and professional learning that balances conceptual rigor with affect, mediation, and context.