Informal Australian discussion suggests that calculators are still widely regarded as devices for calculation, consistent with their naming, and are rarely recognised as potentially helpful to support students learning mathematics. In this paper, Barry Kissane explores some of the ways in which modern calculators might support students learning…

In this paper we direct attention to 5-6-year-olds' learning of arithmetic skills through a thorough analysis of changes in the children's ways of encountering and experiencing numbers. The foundation for our approach is phenomenographic, in that our object of analysis is differences in children's ways of completing an arithmetic task, which are…

This study aims to determine the effect of the cognitive conflict approach on the elimination of misconceptions in square root numbers. For this purpose, this study was conducted with 8th-grade students of a secondary school in a region of Turkey. A three tiered diagnostic test was used to determine the impact of the 5-step cognitive conflict…

Background: Recent research showed that cross-notation magnitude knowledge of fractions and decimals was related to better performance in fraction arithmetic, but it remains unclear whether it made an independent contribution to fraction arithmetic longitudinally when other cognitive variables are considered. Aims: To examine the extent to which…

Place value is a foundational competency for primary school mathematics and for this reason we have sought to investigate what the recent and current academic conversations are around this important concept. In this paper we present a survey of literature presented in the Australasian, European and Southern African contexts through a review of…

In this paper, we explore student solutions to a free response mathematical assessment task which had opportunities for students to notice structural properties in the context of number systems. In total, 308 students aged between 10 years to 13 years participated in the study. Their responses were analysed to determine whether they noticed…

In this paper, we present parts of an online qualitative research project which lasted a whole semester about the understanding of real numbers by sixty first-year Greek mathematics undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on the distinction between rational and irrational numbers and their location on the number line using…

In recent years, several researchers have tried to use stories and games as a starting point for learning mathematics. This is allegedly able to increase students' mathematical abilities and make learning mathematics more enjoyable. Therefore, this research is aimed to design a mathematics learning trajectory in pattern number using…

We report here on an intervention implementing a structural approach to arithmetic problem-solving in relation to learning outcomes among preschoolers. Using the fundamental principles of the variation theory of learning for developing the intervention and as an analytical framework, we discuss teaching and learning in commensurable terms. The…

We make a "prima facie" case for identifying a single pathway in the learning of Hindu-Arabic numerical symbols and discuss why this ability may be a critical gateway concept in developing mathematical competencies. A representative sample of English and Scottish children was assessed using a number symbol identification paradigm in the…

The integer is a basic concept in studying arithmetic and algebra. However, students still frequently experience misconceptions, especially in negative integer, count operations. Traditional games are activities that are often carried out by students in coastal areas so that they are relevant to be used as a tool to construct learning trajectories…

The use of different registers to represent mathematical concepts enhances understanding. For example, rational numbers can assume pictorial, symbolic and natural language representations and this kind of change improves learning. Based on these assumptions, a teaching experiment for the learning of rational numbers by 2nd grade students was…

Preparing for the future during ongoing activities is an essential skill. Yet it is currently unclear to what extent we can prepare for the future in parallel with another task. In two experiments, we investigated how characteristics of a present task influenced whether and when participants prepared for the future, as well as its usefulness. We…

This study is a series of Didactical Design Research in prospective analysis stage to comprehensively identify some obstacles in learning negative integer in order to capture how the learning process used by teachers and how the impact on students in understanding the concept of negative numbers. This research is a case study administered to…

In the present research, we provide empirical evidence for the process of symbolic integration of number associations, focusing on the development of simple addition (e.g., 5 + 3 = 8), subtraction (e.g., 5 - 3 = 2), and multiplication (e.g., 5 × 3 = 15). Canadian children were assessed twice, in Grade 2 and Grade 3 (N = 244; 55% girls). All…