Students' difficulties in differentiating the direct proportion and inverse proportion problems cause interference. Proactive interference is the error that occurs when old information (concept of direct proportion) interferes with new information (concept of inverse proportion). In solving the problem of inverse proportion, students often use the…

One of the most difficult types of arithmetic word problems in primary school is compare problems. Among these problems, the most problematic are those in which the relational term is not consistent with the arithmetic operation required for the solution. This study investigates how 10-11-year-old primary school pupils' read and interpret compare…

The learning of mathematics generally undergoes a less effective and less appealing learning process, resulting in students' perceived lack of mastery of the material. Consequently, students' insufficient understanding of the concepts leads to a lack of folding back. In the process of understanding, it influences individual characteristics, where…

Every educator knows the sinking feeling of a lesson gone wrong. As teachers look around the room and realize that many of their students are just not getting it, they often feel like failures. However, the struggle students experience as they persevere through high-quality challenging tasks is not a sign of failure, but rather a key aspect of…

When teaching the multiplicative domain in New Zealand primary schools, teachers tend to spend a greater proportion of time on the meaning and processes of multiplication, to the detriment of a specific focus on understanding the concept of division. When division is taught, it tends to be by reversing the context and turning the division…

This paper aims to understand how primary students use gestures to solve partition tasks and to what extent these gestures may promote fraction understanding. Analysis of six selected students' answers to partitioning tasks, classroom observation, and post-lesson interviews indicates that co-thought representational gestures play a critical role.…

Previous research examining comparison relations in word problems primarily focused on students' achievements in word problems with one operation. In this paper, we extend previous research to examine the achievement of students of different ages on word problems that integrate compare and combine word problems, hereafter referred to as…

Background: Problem-solving as a vehicle to develop independent thinking skills is mostly underestimated and is often either overlooked or not given adequate attention within the existing South African mathematics curriculum. Consequently, numerous learners often display limited skills or lack skills to adequately crack Mathematics problems by…

Examples play a variety of roles in proving and disproving. Buchbinder and Zaslavsky (2019) have produced an a priori mathematical framework for assessing students' understanding of the role of examples when proving and disproving universal and existential statements. In this paper, I highlight three important aspects that suggest an extension of…

Students with autism spectrum disorder frequently face challenges when learning mathematical concepts. For example, they may have difficulties solving mathematical word problems, in particular Cartesian product problems. This research is a case study with a multiple probe design in which the participants were three Spanish students diagnosed with…

This Spotlight explores effective strategies for improving math instruction and enhancing student achievement in K-8 classrooms. From making math more relevant and engaging and mastering word problem-solving to deepening conceptual understanding of fractions and nurturing students' ability to tackle challenges, these articles offer valuable…

The aim of this study is to reveal the meanings that fourth grade students in elementary school attach to the four operation symbols (+, -, x, :) that are abstract, in different representations. The pattern of the study is a case study of qualitative research methods. In the study, the evaluation tool developed by the researchers was applied to…

This study examines the attitudes and opinions of 161 students, future primary school teachers, in Romania towards mathematical word problems during the 2023-2024 academic year. The investigation aimed at identifying their views on the importance, utility, and challenges of word problems. The results indicate that most students recognize the…

The overwhelming presence of a procedural meaning of equality and equations reported in previous research has led to a call for suitable pedagogical interventions to nurture a relational meaning of these concepts. This paper is a response to that call. Drawing on the theory of objectification, the first part deals with the configuration of a Grade…

This article uses the concurrent mixed methods design to explore the errors made by 171 Grade Seven learners in algebraic problem-solving within the Assin Central Municipality in Ghana. The participants were categorized into low-achieving and high-achieving groups based on their performance in a pretest, to help provide a detailed examination of…