South African learners' performance in mathematics, both locally and internationally, has raised significant concerns, particularly in the realm of algebra. To address this issue, a mixed-methods study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of using algebra tiles to teach algebraic expressions. The study aimed to investigate algebraic…

This study explores the self-efficacy and problem-solving skills of middle school mathematics students. The students -- 111 9th graders who were studying a unit for the analysis of function -- were given mathematics instruction that was based on either dynamic or static visualization. Findings revealed a positive impact of instruction that was…

Digital natives are people born after 1995 who have grown up using technology devices. The problem is that middle and high school students are not developing digital literacy skills which may inhibit success in school. In our society access to information is increasingly through digital devices and internet platforms. Students must be taught to…

Problem-based learning (PBL) has the potential to enhance both cognitive and affective engagement but has been criticised for being unsuitable for learners with low levels of knowledge and skills, such as South African learners from poor backgrounds. In such cases, guided problem-based learning (GPBL), which includes direct instruction and teacher…

This research study sought to determine the effects of Flipped Classroom Instruction (FCI) on middle-grade students' mathematics achievement. In an FCI environment, students are initially exposed to new content outside of the classroom, through screencasts and assigned readings; class time is reserved for answering questions and engaging students…

Few studies, if any, have systematically investigated the connection or relationship between geography curriculum and scientific literacy. With this realization, in this article, we examined the potential contribution of geography curriculum to developing students' scientific literacy, with China's middle-school geography curriculum as an example.…

Aotearoa New Zealand is a super diverse nation in terms of the ethnicities of its people and languages spoken. With an increased rate of immigration from various parts of the world, the presence of multiple languages in many domains of social life is a reality. Consequently, classrooms are now places where learners have different linguistic and…

The article describes a science activity designed to increase students' knowledge and awareness of the spread of COVID-19. It helps students achieve scientific literacy through improving their views about the nature of science and their argumentation skills. It also promotes students' engagement in scientific practices such as modelling,…

Despite national curricula and instructional reforms calling for collaborative problem-solving skills (CPS), however, there is an absence of a theory-laden model showing how to effectively construct CPS for science learning. We therefore developed and validated a simulation-based CPS model that exploits its constructs, sequences, and causal…

In this paper, we examine the importance of building instructional units that incorporate metacognition intent processes that contribute to the development of geometric thinking. We show that the implementation of metacognition processes in the initial stages of constructing tailored instructional units will improve students' geometric ability.…

As problem posing has been shown to foster students' problem-solving abilities, problem posing might serve as an innovative teaching approach for improving students' modelling performance. However, there is little research on problem posing regarding real-world situations. The present paper addresses this research gap by using a modelling…

Understanding scientific models and practicing scientific modeling have been emphasized and advocated in science learning. Although teachers have been perceived as shaping their students' understanding of the nature of science, they have been recognized for their lack of understanding of scientific models. This study explores middle school science…

In the socioscientific issues (SSI) classroom, students need to cross the border between the subcultures of science (i.e., school science vs. everyday science). Traditional school contexts tend to present science as positivistic knowledge and unshakable truth unaffected by sociocultural factors. In contrast, everyday science, including SSI, is…

Thinking development processes among high-school students is an important and significant issue that has been widely investigated (Leviathan, 2012; Ball, 1996; De Risi, 2015). A few studies discuss the development of mathematical thinking as this field contains additional difficulties to the traditional factors, teachers, students, and parents,…

Despite holding wide-ranging experiences with constant velocity and non-zero acceleration, students wrestling with physical science concepts struggle to demarcate the two distinct characteristics of motion. In fact, this prior experience and loose familiarity with associated terminology often act as an obstacle toward a deep and robust…