This paper reports on the use of lesson study as a professional development tool. In particular the paper focuses on the way in which the teachers increased their understanding of how tasks, classroom activity and teacher actions scaffolded student learning of early algebraic reasoning of equivalence and the commutative principle. Teacher voice is…

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of peer instruction on college students' conceptual learning, motivation, and self-efficacy in an algebra-based introductory physics course for nonmajors. Variables were studied via a quasi-experiment, Solomon four-group design on 123 students. Treatment groups were taught by peer instruction.…

Most students in U.S. universities are required to take a collection of core courses regardless of their degree or major. These courses are known as "general education" courses. The general education requirements typically include at least one mathematics course. Unfortunately each year hundreds of thousands of students in the US do not…

The "High Schools That Work" school improvement initiative is the nation's largest comprehensive school reform model with over a thousand schools adopting its framework. The initiative's premise is that all students can meet the demands of a college preparatory curriculum if provided the right supports. Analyzing over a decade of data on student…

This study investigated the use of text messaging as an educational tool in a pre-algebra course at a community college in the central region of North Carolina. The research was conducted in two pre-algebra classes with thirty-three students and one instructor. Data were gathered using qualitative and quantitative methods. A mixed method design…

Background: A key learning outcome in problem-solving domains is the development of procedural flexibility, where learners know multiple procedures and use them appropriately to solve a range of problems (e.g., Verschaffel, Luwel, Torbeyns, & Van Dooren, 2009). However, students often fail to become flexible problem solvers in mathematics. To…

Blackwell et al. (Child Development 78(1):246-263, 2007) tested a motivational model of achievement in which an incremental theory of intelligence leads to learning goals and positive effort beliefs, which leads to fewer ability-based, helpless attributions, and more positive strategies, which leads to improved grades. In the present study, we…

Visualization is mostly despised although it complements and--sometimes--guides the analytical process. This study mainly investigates teachers' preferences concerning the use of the visualization method and determines the extent to which they encourage their students to make use of it within the problem-solving process. This study was conducted…

Mathematics is an important educational component for students with visual impairments, and technology to support the access to and success of students with visual impairments in mathematics is essential. However, little research exists. This particular paper explores one aspect of technology and mathematics education for students with visual…

In a recent paper by Wilamowsky et al. [6], an intuitive proof of the area of the circle dating back to the twelfth century was presented. They discuss challenges made to this proof and offer simple rebuttals to these challenges. The alternative solution presented by them is simple and elegant and can be explained rather easily to non-mathematics…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics are organized by grade level in Grades K-8. At the high school level, the standards are organized by conceptual category (number and quantity, algebra, functions, geometry, modeling and probability and statistics), showing the body of knowledge students should learn in each category to be…

This study seeks to demonstrate a method for treatment effect estimation in a multisite observational study where the treatment is highly selective and the assignment mechanism varies across sites. The method is demonstrated by addressing three primary research questions about the effect of 8th grade algebra: (1) For students who take algebra in…

This quasi-experimental study focused on the initiatives undertaken by a community college's Academic Skills Enhancement Program (ASEP) commonly known as the Developmental Education Department to find an alternative delivery method to aid its students in learning developmental mathematics. Moreover, this study (1) conducted a comparative…

To implement current reforms regarding proof and reasoning in secondary school mathematics successfully, pre-service secondary mathematics teachers must have adequate understandings of concepts across mathematical domains for their future teaching. This paper examined the strategies that pre-service secondary mathematics teachers had for…

Dynamic/interactive graphing applets can be used to supplement standard computer algebra systems such as Maple, Mathematica, Derive, or TI calculators, in courses such as Calculus, Differential Equations, and Dynamical Systems. The addition of this type of software can lead to discovery learning, with students developing their own conjectures, and…