The present study investigates the effect of the separator lines on the learning of 8th grade students in simplifying algebraic expressions with parenthesis. An experimental study was designed to achieve this goal involving 60 girl students in 8th Grade (13 and 14 years old) randomly selected and assigned to two experimental and control groups.…

There is a strong relationship between the quality of education, teachers' decisions and instructional actions, and knowledge. All of them have an important role outcome of the lesson and students' learning. The focus of this study was to discover how the process of students' learning or incapability of learning was affected by teaching practices.…

Making sense of algebraic expressions in context is multifaceted and extends beyond representing real-world situations using algebra. As part of Project MathTalk, the authors created videos that feature a pair of Grade 9 algebra 1 students coming to understand algebraic expressions in context. The students found three aspects of making sense of…

This article reports on an empirical study that investigates the way students' performance in solving arithmetical tasks may be related to their performance in solving algebraic tasks. The sample consisted of 203 Grade 6 students. The arithmetical tasks involved arithmetical expressions with known quantities, whereas the algebraic tasks involved…

To understand the ways that manipulatives might support changes in students' reasoning about algebraic generalizations, a constructivist teaching experiment was conducted with two sixth-grade students. The students interpreted numerical situations with units of one and could construct units of units in mental activity. Initially, the students'…

This qualitative research study uses middle-grades students' numerical reasoning to model their symbolic representations of the relationship between two multiplicatively related unknowns on an algebra task. Students in sixth grade through ninth grade participated in clinical interviews that assessed their numerical reasoning using the Number…

There is a dearth of empirical data to support the positive effects of problem solving (PS) combined with digital technology in the classroom, despite claims that these activities improve students' algebraic thinking abilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how the teaching method known as Polya's problem solving with…

Recent research has highlighted the role of functional relationships in introducing elementary school students to algebraic thinking. This functional approach is here considered to study essential components of algebraic thinking such as generalization and its representation, as well as the strategies used by students and their connection with…

Seeds of Algebraic Thinking comes from the Knowledge in Pieces (KiP) perspective of learning. KiP is a systems approach to learning that stems from the constructivist idea that people learn by building on prior knowledge. As people experience the world, they acquire small, sub-conceptual knowledge elements. When people engage in a particular…

As students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participate in the general education setting at greater rates, they are expected to meet rigorous grade-level academic standards. Students with ASD typically struggle with problem solving, higher-ordered thinking, and mathematical reasoning. When students enter middle school, mathematics becomes more…

This paper provides information on datasets for the research project that examined the efficacy of three educational technologies including "From Here to There!", a research-based game for improving algebraic understanding. The dataset contains 4,092 7th-grade students' data collected through a randomized control trial conducted in…

Our aim is to contribute to the body of research on learning trajectories (LTs) in mathematics by making visible a process for articulating a hypothetical learning trajectory implicit in a widely adopted, reform-based, middle-grades mathematics curriculum. In doing so, we highlight considerations, decisions, and challenges we faced as part of this…

South African learners' performance in mathematics, both locally and internationally, has raised significant concerns, particularly in the realm of algebra. To address this issue, a mixed-methods study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of using algebra tiles to teach algebraic expressions. The study aimed to investigate algebraic…

This qualitative study aims to investigate the mediation strategies employed by teachers who participated in a professional development (PD) course, focusing on the teaching of Grade 9 linear equations. Within the context of the PD course, teachers engaged with various pedagogical approaches for teaching linear equations and other secondary school…

In this article, the authors describe the two interpretations of mathematical expressions, as a process and as a product. They begin with an initial discussion of Tall's (2013) interpretations of expressions and connect this to state standards. Next, they describe the different interpretations of algebraic expressions based on their work with…