Fractions are core content of elementary school mathematics, and conceptual knowledge of fractions is essential when developing a comprehensive understanding of fractions. Previous research, however, has indicated limitations in student teachers' fraction knowledge. This study investigated 57 Swedish elementary school student teachers' conceptions…

Although difficulties processing both symbolic and nonsymbolic proportion compared with absolute number are well established, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. We investigate four potential explanations to account for better number processing in adulthood: (a) number is more salient than proportion, (b) number is encoded more automatically…

Understanding fractions, especially their magnitude, is essential for success in mathematics. Unfortunately, fractions are one of the most challenging mathematics concepts to teach and learn. Several studies have examined preservice teacher (PST) knowledge of fractions, but very few studies have looked for ways to improve this knowledge. This…

Spatial ability is a multifaceted construct with demonstrated ties to success in mathematics and gesture production. Recent empirical work has also begun investigating whether targeted interventions for spatial ability can transfer to mathematics but are often limited to specific populations and specific math outcomes. Spatial anxiety has been…

Teachers' knowledge of the subject matter is considered an important component of their expertise in teaching mathematics. Yet how teachers' understanding of one content area is related to other content areas has not been investigated in depth. We explored this question by investigating teachers' knowledge of two theoretically related areas: (1)…

Preservice teachers (PSTs) are expected to possess a relational understanding (i.e., knowing how to do and why) of mathematics for ambitious instruction. This study aimed to shed some light on the possibilities of supporting PSTs' development of relational understanding of fractions through engaging them in writing collective argumentation.…

In prior work, we fit the mixture Rasch model to item responses from a fractions survey administered to a nationwide sample of middle grades mathematics teachers in the United States. The mixture Rasch model located teachers on a continuous, unidimensional scale and fit best with 3 latent classes. We used item response data to generate initial…

Fractions are challenging for both typically achieving children and adults. Although some prior research has focused on fraction difficulties of children with mathematics difficulties (MD), persistent difficulties encountered by adults with MD remain unknown. It is possible that these adults may be able to compensate for some deficits. In this…

Rational numbers are represented by multiple notations: fractions, decimals, and percentages. Whereas previous studies have investigated affordances of these notations for representing different types of information (DeWolf et al., 2015; Tian et al., 2020), the present study investigated their affordances for solving different types of arithmetic…

Preservice teachers commonly struggle with topics related to fractions, ratio, and proportion. The use of double number lines can facilitate the teaching in these areas and provide autonomy and flexibility in mathematical thinking. Moreover, double number lines support many topics in the curriculum, including unit rate, convenience scaling, and…

This study is an examination of 79 elementary prospective teachers' (PSTs') capacity for recognizing the core ideas involved in modeling fraction addition problems and their difficulties in solving and presenting the process of fraction addition using area, length, and set models. PSTs completed a written task in which they represented the process…

Background: People report negative attitudes towards fractions and percentages relative to whole numbers (WNs, Sidney, Thompson, Fitzsimmons, & Taber, 2021), and these attitudes may relate to an individual's interpretation of what experiences with these number types signify. Because fractions are challenging, individual differences related to…

In this study, it is aimed to examine the perceptions of the mathematics teacher candidates regarding the concept of fraction. 32 teacher candidates participated in the research carried out in the screening model. The word association test was used as a data collection tool and the obtained data were analyzed by content analysis method. According…

We explore the responses of 26 prospective elementary-school teachers to the claim "1/6.5 is not a fraction" asserted by a hypothetical classroom student. The data comprise scripted dialogues that depict how the participants envisioned a classroom discussion of this claim to evolve, as well as an accompanying commentary where they…

The purpose of this article is to validate the relevance of a concept inventory on fractions by measuring the presence and evolution of misconceptions among prospective primary and pre-school teachers, including the overcoming of their misconceptions during and at the end of the instructional intervention. Seven text statements were defined and…