Due to the learning paradox, students cannot have real difficulty in understanding a mathematical concept that they have not yet understood. There is a gap between real difficulties, directly experienced by students, and illusionary ones, only observed by researchers. This paper aims to offer a critical reflection on our understanding of the term…

A theoretical model describing Grade 7 students' rational number sense was formulated and validated empirically (n = 360), hypothesizing that rational number sense is a general construct consisting of three factors: basic rational number sense, arithmetic sense, and flexibility with rational numbers. Data analysis suggested that rational-number…

Mathematics curricula from many countries have emphasized conceptual understanding as more important than the mastery of isolated skills. However, researchers and educators have used different measures to access students' conceptual understanding of mathematics. Thus, it seems necessary to further explore whether and to what extent different…

Theories of gender and race in mathematics education predominately remain unchanged in recent years (Damarin, 2008; Parks & Schmeichel, 2012), with feminism not always seen as relevant to mathematics education. New theories and methodologies related to gender create possibilities to reinvigorate gender research in mathematics education and…

This study reports the classroom mathematical practices proposed in an instructional sequence grounding on the principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) through the use of the dynamic geometry software (DGS) in learning to teach geometric transformations. A 5-week instructional sequence consisting of IBL activities that were guided by the…