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This article discusses the growing attention and research activity surrounding early grade mathematics (EGM) in South Africa and Malawi. The introduction of curriculum reforms and policy-linked interventions, such as the Teaching Mathematics for Understanding model and the Primary Teacher Education initiative, have led to increased research in this field. The article highlights the importance of foundational understandings of mathematics in addressing low performance in the subject. It also examines different approaches to EGM research, including large-scale interventions and projects that engage with the mathematics education literature base. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for ongoing attention to both larger-scale and smaller-scale intervention studies in order to improve mathematical outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

In this article we share the findings emanating from a 20 year (2003–2022) review of South African Early Grade Mathematics (EGM) research articles published in key international and local/regional journals. The review shows a substantial increase in the volume of published EGM articles in the second decade (2013–2022), nationally and internationally. These increases are marked across the key clusters of articles seen in our analysis: Teachers and Teaching, Learners and Learning, Language and Multilingualism, and Assessment. The emergence of the South African Journal of Childhood Education as a phase-specific journal in 2011 has been a particularly important factor within the increasing volume of publication. We note too, that whilst the base of publication across institutions has broadened in the local/regional publication space, international publications are tied primarily to projects linked with established South African Research Chairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]