Based on the sociocultural theory of learning and distributed cognition, using learning aids should benefit students' performance, as learning aids can compensate for a lack of knowledge or skills and reduce strain on short-term memory. The present study investigated the use of a diverse set of learning aids in Grade 8 of vocational education in…

This exploratory study investigated the behaviors and content of onscreen calculator usage by a nationally representative sample of eighth-grade students who responded to items from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. Meaningful features were generated from the process data to infer whether students…

In this study, the effect of using on-screen calculators on eighth grade students' performance on two TIMSS 2019 Problem Solving and Inquiry Tasks items considered as examples of technology-enhanced items administered on computers was examined. For this purpose, three logistic regression models were run where the dependent variables were giving a…

This study utilized a one-group pretest-post-posttest design (Allen, 2017) to examine the effects of the Hands-On Equations system on students' abilities to solve multi-step equation problems following explicit classroom instruction on the skill. Participants consisted of four middle-school male students, all of whom received special education…

Students with disabilities often struggle with grade-level mathematics without appropriate support and accommodations. This study compared the performance of middle school students with disabilities on computational-based mathematics assessments when they had access to calculators and when they did not. Using a single-case ABAB design, data were…

To help middle school students make better sense of decimals and fraction, the author and an eighth-grade math teacher worked on a 90-minute lesson that focused on representing repeating decimals as fractions. They embedded experimentations and explorations using technology and calculators to help promote students' intuitive and conceptual…

In recent years, the topic of integrating history to mathematics lessons in teaching-learning processes has been frequently discussed among researchers. The main aim of this study is to present an example activity which enriched with history of mathematics and to take the views of students about teaching course in this way. In addition, to create…

This article summarizes research conducted on calculator block items from the 2007 fourth- and eighth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress Main Mathematics. Calculator items from the assessment were categorized into two categories: problem-solving items and noncomputational mathematics concept items. A calculator has the potential to…

The purpose of this study was to use differential item functioning (DIF) and latent mixture model analyses to explore factors that explain performance differences on a large-scale mathematics assessment between examinees allowed to use a calculator or who were afforded item presentation accommodations versus those who did not receive the same…

This paper provides a brief understanding of the educational technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics to Form Two students (equivalent to the eighth-graders) in Malaysia. In particular, it attempts to understand the relationships between educational technology and mathematics achievement in both the urban and rural schools. The study…

This article addresses some important issues in mathematics instruction at the middle and secondary levels, including the structuring of a district's mathematics program; the choice of textbooks and use of calculators in the classroom; the need for more rigorous lesson planning practices; and the dangers of teaching to standardized tests rather…

Information is provided on results from the Second International Mathematics Study conducted in 1981-82 in 236 eighth-grade classrooms in the United States. Content taught, teacher characteristics, types of instruction, attitudes, knowledge, and comparisons with students in other countries are discussed. (MNS)

Proposes using student projects to show students how mathematics can be applied to their lives by using statistics. Students identify a topic of interest to them and their community, collect data, discuss the analyzed data in a written report, and present the reports at the local senior-citizen center. (MDH)

Less than one third of American eighth graders score in the two highest performance levels on the grade 8 mathematics test given by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Only a little over one third of Massachusetts eighth graders score at the two highest performance levels on the state's own grade 8 mathematics test. In 2002, the…