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…

This work addresses visual content accessibility for blind and low vision communities through the lenses of technique development and community engagement with an overarching question of "How can we make tactile pictures more available?" This inquiry takes a participatory, action-based design approach to break this question down based on…

All students, including students with learning disabilities, deserve a mathematics education that successfully prepares them for their future endeavors. This preparation includes effective instruction in algebra, which is known as the gatekeeper to post-secondary schooling, employment, and constructive citizenry. However, majority of students with…

The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design study was to measure the effects of both types of manipulatives on student mathematical understanding of 1st and 4th grade, Title I students. This data is needed for teachers to make informed decisions regarding their instructional choices. 270 participants…

The primary grade levels traditionally consist of highly kinesthetic and tactile activities supporting learning and student engagement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers urgently transitioned these learning activities to virtual settings. However, research shows a need for more literature on primary teacher experiences and their move toward…

In order to comprehend complex and abstract phenomena, students must partake in the process of learning by integrating complex and invisible components without ever physically encountering or manipulating such components. Prior knowledge and experiences will influence the way students assimilate and model new experiences and knowledge. If prior…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to measure the impact of a sequential use of manipulatives and visual models on third-grade students' multiplication fluency, math attitudes, and fact retention. According to results of this study, there was significant evidence that the students who gained a conceptual understanding of multiplication…

Learning practices in education are constantly evolving to provide high-quality education. One of the trends used to provide high-quality education is incorporating technological tools to teach and learn STEM concepts. Implementing physical manipulative tools and virtual manipulative tools in STEM classrooms positively influenced conceptual…

Implementing ambitious teaching practices is a student-led teaching style that emphasizes being student-centered instead of a teacher-centered teaching approach. This qualitative descriptive study looks at how special education teachers describe their use of authentic activities, social context, and classroom culture in the implementation of…

This study sought to compare the effectiveness of teaching with manipulatives versus algorithms and procedures. Assessment data were collected before instruction, after instruction with algorithms and procedures, and after instruction with modeling and manipulatives. Data were collected from 113 students from the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades within…

Virtual reality (VR) provides significant opportunities for students to experience immersive education. In VR, students can travel to the international space station, or go through a science experiment at home. However, the current tactile feedback provided by these systems do not feel real. Controllers do not provide the same tactile feedback…

This dissertation presents three studies exploring mathematics interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) including a review of literature and two intervention studies using manipulative based interventions. Specifically, the researcher conducted a systematic review of literature exploring the current state of the literature on…

A recent review of research on virtual manipulatives (VMs), defined as technology-based interactive representations of mathematical ideas (Moyer-Packenham, & Bolyard, 2016), suggests strengths relative to other instructional tools in supporting student learning of mathematics (Moyer-Packenham & Westenskow, 2013). Researchers have…

Play provides a foundation for human learning because people have an opportunity to experiment through play and learn in a safe environment. Although play is more free-form, expressive, and improvisational, serious play is more structured, rule-bound with a "serious" purpose (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, & Nacke, 2011). Studies also…

Fractions--their concepts, procedures, and symbolic notation--are well-known for the difficulty they present children, beginning in elementary school, and often, persisting long after. However, promoting children's development of flexible and robust conceptual knowledge in this content area is critical for their success both in and out of school.…