Abstract
Initially, research on Calculus was carried out from a cognitive perspective, like in most areas of Mathematics Education. With the progress of research, different approaches were formed, some from general frameworks in Mathematics Education and others focused on variational or dynamic ideas that typical of Calculus. We present a narrative review of the evolution of two variational approaches in research in the mathematics of change and variation, the Covariational Reasoning Framework and the line of Variational Thinking and Language. As a result of this review, we describe the different moments that this approach went through throughout its evolution until its consolidation. We conclude with the most relevant aspects on which the research under this approach focused, the current moment in which its developments are found and slightly some areas of opportunity for research in the future.