Korean society has rapidly experienced increasing multiculturalism for over two decades. This qualitative case study explores Korean teachers' conceptualizations and implementation of multicultural education with/for multicultural students in middle schools in Seoul, Korea. Interviews were conducted with six Korean middle school teachers…

Tracking is the practice of sorting students into courses based on their perceived ability. Middle school mathematics programs commonly track students into leveled courses with differential access to curriculum, instructional practices and future courses. With 40 years of research to draw on, every professional organization of mathematics…

Most American children from age three to eighteen spend around 165 days per calendar year and eight hours daily in a school building. During this time, they unknowingly build relationships with peers, teachers, custodians, counselors, and anyone else occupying these buildings with them. The problem addressed by this study was the lack of positive…

Mathematics education researchers suggest that providing the opportunity to struggle with important mathematics (SOS) is a necessary component of lessons in order for students to conceptually understand mathematics. There are many ways to promote and support SOS, yet very few lessons demonstrate SOS in today's middle grades classrooms. This study…

This study addresses the need to better describe instructional strategies used by middle grades mathematics teachers. After coding 177 videos of grades 6-8 mathematics instruction for indications of effective instructional practices, we further analyzed 8 of the highly scored videos with specific attention to teachers' implementation of strategies…

Teacher expectancy (TE) refers to the inferences that teachers make about academic achievement, and future career choice of their students, it is a teacher level variable, and it mediates the teacher-student interaction. I hypothesize that the TE impacts the distribution of learning opportunities in 8th grade mathematics classes. So, I investigate…

Decreased academic achievement of middle school students is occurring due to educators' inability or reluctance to differentiate instruction and the barriers that impede or prevent its use. The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore strategies for implementing differentiated instruction in the classroom and overcoming…

This study explores teachers' perspectives on mandala coloring as a therapeutic tool for middle grades students with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research first conducted qualitative interviews with ten experienced teachers, followed by teachers' quantitative assessments of 60…

One of the greatest conceptual difficulties faced by middle level mathematics students is developing a rich understanding of irrational numbers that includes recognizing that irrational numbers are truly real numbers with an exact value and an exact place on the number line. Developing a deep conceptual understanding of irrational numbers is…

The primary purpose of the research is to examine middle school teachers' self-efficacy perceptions of digital competence. The participants of this study, which was conducted using the phenomenology pattern of the qualitative research approach, consisted of 17 middle school teachers who were determined using the criterion sampling method, one of…

The pandemic has not only increased economic inequities within various communities, but it has also exacerbated the social, emotional, and math achievement inequities of middle school students, creating an environment that increases the potential for heightened anxiety and peer conflict. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that educators not…

Recent reform initiatives in STEM disciplines inspired the development and implementation of integrated STEM approaches to science teaching and learning. Integrated STEM as an approach to science teaching and learning leverages engineering principles and practices to situate learning in an authentic and meaningful science learning environment.…

This qualitative study investigates teachers' perceptions of the challenges faced by students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and their ability to implement equitable instructional practices. Guided by The Equity-Based Framework for Achieving Integrated Schooling, the research explored teachers' experiences through semi-structured…

Recent literature justifies the use of virtual learning in supporting middle-grades students' mathematical knowledge development and emphasizes the critical role of motivation in learning (Lo & Hew, 2020; Murphy et al., 2020; Spitzer & Musslick, 2021). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation both play a role in learning for middle-grades…

This article reports on a project implemented to help middle school teachers provide evidence-based instruction and intervention to students with mathematics learning disabilities (MLD) and mathematics difficulties (MD). Multiple sources--interviews, surveys, and field notes from formal and informal observations--were used to gather data on…