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…

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…

To efficiently solve mathematical expressions and equations, students need to notice the systemic structure of mathematical expressions (e.g., inverse relation between 3 and 3 in 3 + 5 - 3). We examined how symbols--specifically variables versus numbers--and students' algebraic knowledge impacted seventh graders' problem-solving strategies and use…

Middle school serves as a key milestone for pre-algebra mastery, enabling students to be successful in high school algebra. Yet, at the point when students should be transitioning from learning arithmetic to learning mathematics, many are unprepared in fundamental mathematics concepts that strongly predict algebra achievement. Because mastering…