Teachers’ curriculum making practices in language diverse primary mathematics classrooms: a systematic literature review

Mathematics classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, yet the perception of mathematics as a universal, culture- and language-free subject persists. This belief continues to shape how teachers adapt nationally prescribed curricula in linguistically diverse settings. To address the limited research on this topic, we conducted a systematic review exploring teachers’ curriculum making practices in language-diverse mathematics classrooms. We screened 833 articles from Web of Science, Scopus, and ERIC, applying reflexive thematic analysis to 23 empirical studies across five continents. Our findings reveal both convergences and divergences, shaped by tensions between education and language policies and teacher agency. We identified four starting points for curriculum making: developing mathematical vocabulary; leveraging students’ home language and funds of knowledge; fostering engagement through discursive practices; and supporting meaning-making via multimodal approaches. Beyond identifying these practices, we synthesise how they intersect, complement, and sometimes contradict each other, offering a deeper understanding of curriculum making as a relational process in linguistically diverse classrooms. We offer implications for inclusive language policies, professional development, and demonstrate how a new curriculum making heuristic can illuminate the complexities of teachers’ social practices.