In this article, we show how students' productive struggle on a mathematical task can lead to collective mathematical creativity. We use observable (co)actions and interactions from a video record that features three Grade 6 students in a problem-solving session to document the emergence of collective creativity leading to a mathematical solution.…

Fractions are a fundamental component of the school mathematics curriculum, and most students achieve proficiency in these concepts during their elementary education. However, a significant proportion of students still encounter challenges in this area even after entering secondary education, necessitating additional support to prevent further…

This study lies within the field of early-age algebraic thinking and focuses on describing the functional thinking exhibited by six sixth-graders (11- to 12-year-olds) enrolled in a curricular enhancement program. To accomplish the goals of this research, the structures the students established and the representations they used to express the…

Procedural flexibility is an important skill for algebra. Although prior work has focused on measuring students' procedural flexibility using arithmetic problems, word problems may also capture students' flexibility because of their open-ended nature. To date, no published study has examined the use of word problems as another measure of…

In this article, we address a call by Thompson and Carlson to directly contribute to defining the variation of students' reasoning about varying quantities. We show that students as young as in sixth grade can engage in complex forms of reasoning about multiple quantities in contexts that involve exploring science phenomena using interactive…

It is well known that fraction knowledge is relevant for later success in mathematics. However, many students still face difficulties when dealing with fractions. Predictors of fraction knowledge have been widely examined. Systematizing "mathematical" predictors, whether their predictive contributions are direct or indirectly mediated…

This study used the RBC+C model to reveal the abstractions of the 6th-grade students in the process of transition to the parallelogram area formula. Also, constructing parallelogram area information was employed as a teaching experiment based on the basic interpretive approach, one of the qualitative research methods. The study participants…

Mathematics anxiety (MA) refers to negative cognition and negative affect that interfere with mathematics performance. We examined the dimensionality of MA, measurement invariance across males and females, and whether the strength of relations between MA and mathematics performance varies by dimension and gender among 245 sixth-grade students.…

Mathematics anxiety (MA) refers to negative cognition and negative affect that interfere with mathematics performance. We examined the dimensionality of MA, measurement invariance across males and females, and whether the strength of relations between MA and mathematics performance varies by dimension and gender among 245 sixth-grade students.…

This research study sought to identify a solution for building fact fluency for middle school aged students identified with LD. After analyzing a 1st-12th grade independent school for students with LD's math curriculum, it was noted that basic fact fluency is not taught after grade five. This has shown to be problematic for students who enroll in…

When learning about fractions, teaching usually follows certain topics -- e.g. part of the whole, fraction equivalence, and size comparison. Not yet answered is whether students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions is coherent between those topics. To answer this question, we performed a latent profile analysis of data from N = 1005…

Both educators and researchers alike have a shared understanding that the mathematical identities, and perceptions of those identities, 6th and 7th grade students hold can influence their attitudes about their abilities as mathematics learners and doers. However, while identity work has gained popularity as a focus, researchers have yet to…

Fractions are a very important but difficult topic in elementary and secondary mathematics curricula around the world. The difficulty in teaching and learning fractions is usually caused by their various subconstructs. To facilitate learning of fractions, a test consisting of 20 items was developed to examine 310 sixth graders' hierarchical…

This study focuses on supporting the key competences of 6th graders using an empathy-centred approach in visual art classes. The research represents the third cycle of pedagogical action research conducted during a 35-academic-hour course with 70 middle school students aged 12-13 in an Estonian comprehensive school. The data were collected through…

Circle and disc are fundamental concepts introduced in middle school, forming the basis for many other mathematical ideas. Students often face challenges in comprehending circles, discs, and their basic elements. This research examines the processes of sixth-grade students in constructing circles, discs, and their essential components within a…