A foundational component of developing algebraic thinking for meaningful calculus learning is the idea of "function" that focuses on the relationship between varying quantities. Students have demonstrated widespread difficulties in learning calculus, particularly interpreting and modeling dynamic events, when they have a poor…

Some research has suggested the use of mancala games in mathematics education. The immediate concepts associated with playing mancala games have been limited to counting as well as addition and subtraction, so the potential of mancala has remained limited to primary school education. This proposed adaptation of a mancala game allows for teaching…

The purpose of this study was to determine if students scored significantly higher on the ACT after taking precalculus than they had scored on the ACT prior to taking precalculus. The researcher investigated whether there is an increase, not only in ACT composite scores, but also in ACT math subtest scores after high school students completed a…

Testing-assessment is needed to determine whether the education process is successful or at what level. For this reason, it is of great importance to determine the achievement level of the students at the secondary level. The purpose of this study is to develop an achievement test consisting of multiple choice questions about 'quadrilateral'…

This study investigated the types of questions that prospective teachers of mathematics asked their students during whole-class discussions, how these questions changed over time, and why. Four prospective teachers were interviewed at the beginning and end of a 10-week period of student teaching to elicit their views about the kinds of questions…

The use of digital technologies (calculators, computers, simulations, etc.) is recommended for teaching and learning mathematics (NCTM 2000; NGA Center and CCSSO 2010). Given these recommendations, technology has been increasingly integrated into the mathematics classroom for decades. The authors began asking themselves about the nature of…

Students with mathematics learning disability (MLD) are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) as outlined by their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a roadmap to enhance in-school and postschool outcomes for students with a disability. We reviewed IEPs (n = 89) for secondary students with MLD enrolled in 15 rural…

Mathematics is of major importance in science subjects. Unfortunately, students struggle with applying mathematics in science subjects, especially physics. In this qualitative study we demonstrate that transfer of algebraic skills from mathematics in physics class can be improved by using pre-knowledge effectively. We designed shift-problems…

This paper reports on an exploration of preservice teachers' understanding of the quadratic function concept in Zimbabwe. These concepts were taught to preservice teachers studying for a diploma in Education wishing to specialize in the teaching of Ordinary level mathematics. Concerns about high Mathematics failure rate in Zimbabwean Secondary…

Recommendations for preparing teachers of mathematics have been published by multiple professional organizations in the United States; however, there is limited research on whether student course perceptions affirm the instructor-identified alignment of mathematics content courses for prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) to these…

This article presents a critique of a teacher quality agenda promoted by a network of elitiste organizations in the United States. Network leaders posit that gaps in teacher quality cause achievement gaps. Their solution is to incentivize the graduates of the nation's most selective colleges to teach in hard-to-staff schools. Summarizing prior…

In South Africa, differential performance in school mathematics with respect to social class remains an enduring concern as reflected in national and international large-scale assessments. The article examines the implications of evaluation for orientations to mathematics in a school populated by learners from upper-middle-class or elite…

Reflective practices in pre-service teacher education enables teachers to evaluate their pedagogical skills. This study aimed to integrate different assessment techniques such as peer assessment, lecturer assessment and self-assessment in a microteaching setting. Using 20 pre-service teachers' post-microteaching (MT) reflection, we explored how…

Perceptually rich concrete manipulatives benefit mathematics learning. Because students should be challenged to consider connections between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) perspectives of conics (NCTM 2000), this article describes hands-on teaching techniques that promote this type of student reasoning. This article aims to (1)…

This study shows that using authentic contexts for learning differential equations in a differentiation-by-interest setting can enhance students' beliefs about the relevance of mathematics. The students in this study were studying advanced mathematics (wiskunde D) at upper secondary school in the Netherlands. These students are often not aware of…