This study addresses a significant gap in educational research by employing statistical methods to measure the sequencing of different components and content topics in textbooks. It is well-documented that the structure and sequencing features of textbooks play a crucial role in enhancing students' learning. However, existing literature has…

Despite the growing popularity of both flipped classrooms and digital manipulatives, there is a need for empirical research to examine the impact of combining these instructional strategies in the context of an Algebra 1 course (Alsaeed, 2017; Brown et al., 2001). This study is grounded in Kolb's learning cycle, the Technological Pedagogical…

For the first time in 32 years, the national average scale score in mathematics dropped by seven points across the country in grades four and eight, according to the latest results of the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2022 results in mathematics were staggering, in which "math performance fell for the first time in…

As students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participate in the general education setting at greater rates, they are expected to meet rigorous grade-level academic standards. Students with ASD typically struggle with problem solving, higher-ordered thinking, and mathematical reasoning. When students enter middle school, mathematics becomes more…

For students to be successful in future mathematics classes, mathematics teachers must be able to help students decipher content in Algebra I, the foundation of higher mathematics. Research on vocabulary in the math classroom shows there are multiple ways to represent vocabulary and reading comprehension. The research question, which focused on…

The focus of this dissertation is on students' thinking regarding the function concept in the context of abstract algebra, focusing on the properties of well- and everywhere-definedness. This dissertation follows a three-paper format, where each paper has a different yet related focus. In the first paper, I analyze (non-)examples found in…

Most mathematicians state mathematics is a field of beauty, creativity, and innovation, yet what is echoed by students is not how mathematics allows students to explore, but rather the ways in which it constrains and does not necessitate creativity. In comparison, many students associate coding with freedom, and the ability to create and express…

Knowledge assessments in undergraduate mathematics education commonly evaluate response correctness to determine learner proficiency. However, simultaneous evaluation of learner metacognition more accurately assesses the multiple dimensions of knowledge and has been shown to increase assessment validity and reliability. Research into…

For the first time in 32 years, the national average scale score in mathematics dropped by seven points across the country in grades four and eight, according to the latest results of the National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP). The 2022 results in mathematics were staggering, in which "math performance fell for the first time in…

This study explored the potential connections between secondary in-service (ISTs) and preservice (PSTs) mathematics teachers' anticipations and their noticing of student thinking in technology-mediated learning environments, a topic with limited prior research. Specifically, the study examined how teachers (ISTs and PSTs) anticipate student…

This quasi-experimental design study aimed to examine how exposure to supporting productive struggle teaching practice impacts students' conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and strategic competence when solving high-demanding quadratic functions problem solving tasks. Results suggested that students in the supporting productive struggle…

Over the past thirty years, research on teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) has developed and grown in popularity as an area of focus for improving mathematics teaching and students' learning. Many scholars have investigated types of knowledge teachers use when teaching and the relationship between teacher knowledge and student…

The low academic learning outcomes and persistence rates among students starting in developmental mathematics at community colleges are concerning. Improving the teaching and learning of developmental mathematics is imperative. This Action Research study aimed to investigate and improve developmental mathematics students' low retention rate and…

The study examines the perspectives of using the Desmos calculator of Algebra I students' conceptual understanding and procedural fluency to write, graph, and solve linear equations in Algebra I STAAR. While the students have continuously used technology for mathematics assessment, emergent bilingual students in South Texas still need help passing…

This convergent parallel mixed-methods study examines the relationship between high school mathematics teachers' research-based instructional practices and students' learning outcomes in Algebra 1 classrooms at a high school in a central region of a Southern U.S. State. The research addresses improving mathematics proficiency in the United States,…