Cognitive activation is an approach to instruction associated with increased mathematical achievement and engagement. However, researchers have questioned its effectiveness for students with different learner characteristics. A Year 6 class participated in a lesson designed using cognitive activation practices. Interviews with ten case study…

This study investigated the effect of a paper folding activity prepared to develop the sixth-grade students' concept definitions and images of parallelism and perpendicularity concepts. The study also examined how the concept definition and images changed after the paper folding activity. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was…

Attending to students' thinking and using it to inform instruction has been shown to be an effective and equitable teaching practice. Research on teachers' noticing of thinking conceptualizes noticing as a cognitive process, while work on noticing for equity treats noticing as culturally situated but primarily focuses on participation. Drawing on…

Understanding and supporting students' development of graph literacy is important. We studied how aspects of graph literacy might be supported (or hindered) in middle school by analyzing the content in textbooks. Specifically, we conducted a content analysis of tasks involving two-dimensional Cartesian graphs presented in grade 6-8 US textbooks.…

Introduction: In today's world, which is progressively oriented towards science and technology and facing a growing demand for skilled professionals, it becomes essential to identify the factors that encourage individuals to pursue careers in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Previous research has shown that…

Background: Disembedding is a crucial spatial thinking skill in visual arts and mathematics education. It is important in creating and analyzing artworks by separating a figure from its background, as well as for solving geometric problems where shapes must be viewed from new perspectives. Drawing upon research in psychology, arts, and mathematics…

This study investigated the effectiveness of an intervention designed to support sixth-grade Spanish-speaking English as Additional Language (EAL) learners and their English proficient classmates in acquiring pre-algebra knowledge and skills and associated academic vocabulary. The sample consisted of 88 EAL learners and their 139 English…

Curricular tracking is common in many countries, yet this school practice might have unintended consequences for students' attitudes toward school. We examined the changes in adolescents' school belonging among sixth graders placed in honors versus regular math, with academic identity as a mediator in this relation. Early adolescents (N = 322; 72%…

Solving mathematical problems is cognitively complex, involving strategy formulation, solution development, and the application of learned concepts. However, gaps in students' knowledge or weakly grasped concepts can lead to errors. Teachers play a crucial role in predicting and addressing these difficulties, which directly influence learning…

Mathematics growth trajectory plays a significant role to predict future outcomes and careers. We examined the existence of different growth trajectories in mathematics during the late elementary-school period (from Grades 4 to 6) and the relationship between the trajectory group classification and later mathematics achievement (Grade 8). Then,…

Understanding equivalence is fundamental to STEM disciplines, yet misunderstandings and misconceptions inhibit students from fully appreciating or leveraging the concept. Using the game-based algebraic notation system, From Here to There! (FH2T), students explore ideas of equivalence by dynamically transforming expressions or equations among…

Ecological factors, such as family involvement and school context, are important to consider in understanding middle schoolers' math development. In this study, we examined the relations of middle school student-reported parental monitoring and school climate as well as school-averaged teacher reports of school organizational health (OH) to…

Prior studies identified effective, but mainly non-digital, homework aids. This research involved 18 middle school students in a lo-fi prototyping study to integrate traditional homework support tools with intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), leveraging rich log data for personalized learning. Feature investigations in standardized diaries, goal…

This paper investigates two specific probabilistic biases which middle graders usually exhibit when reasoning about probability and randomness on assessment items. We discuss how students' reasoning about key probability concepts undergirds statistics literacy related to randomness, independence, and the likelihood of future events based on past…

Background: Mindfulness practices enhance executive function skills and academic achievement, spurring interest in integrating mindfulness interventions into education. Embedding mindfulness practice into a digital math game may provide a low-cost, scalable way to induce mindfulness and boost game-based learning, yet this approach remains…