Background: The sophistication of young children's arithmetic problem-solving strategies can be influenced through experience and instructional intervention. One potential pathway is through encountering story problems where the location of the unknown quantity varies. Aims: The goal of the present study is to characterize how arithmetic…

This study examined the types of representations that primary school children create in solving different types of problems, the relationship between these types of representations, and the accuracy rates in solving the problems. The study was conducted with 80 students attending primary school's 2nd and 3rd grades. An achievement test prepared by…

The basic notions of combinatorics, including systematic listing and permutations, are important topics of mathematics that are recommended to be learned eventually from elementary schools. However, there is little research in mathematics education regarding elementary students' combinatorial strategies. The purpose of this research is to…

Our work investigated how six primary school students used a non-traditional method for adding and subtracting: the ABN method, a Spanish acronym for Open (method) Based on Numbers. Commognitive theory [Sfard, A. 2008. "Thinking as Communicating: Human Development, the Growth of Discourses, and Mathematizing." New York: Cambridge…

Problem-solving is a key aspect of mathematics instruction. Although it is part of several national curricula, its implementation is still being vastly explored. The present research, which is part of a larger project, aimed to investigate the effect of using problem-oriented instruction in grade 3 of primary school on students' mathematical…

Through creative thinking, it is possible to acquire new attitudes and a view of the world, not only of mathematics but from several sides (Kamp, 2016). Creativity in mathematics can be defined as a process based on sensitivity to problems, deficiencies, gaps in knowledge and sensitivity to identifying missing elements, revealing difficulties in…

In this paper, the multidigit arithmetic-related strategy adaptivity, strategy flexibility and solution accuracy of Danish compulsory school students is examined. Participants, 749 grade three, 731 grade six and 818 grade eight, were drawn from twenty demographically different schools. Drawing on a tri-phase assessment tool, each student completed…

The aim of this study is to investigate Norwegian primary school students' multimodal mathematical reasoning when solving combinatorial problems. The data collection took place in four small groups of altogether thirteen 8-9 years old third-graders. Our study shows a variety of approaches used to solve the given combinatorial problems, such as…

The mathematical modeling process is also a powerful way to teach students the meaning of data. In mathematical modeling, students are collecting data to answer a question. Data collection is the means to an end and not the end in itself. The author was looking for an engaging way to introduce his third-grade mathematics class to the skill of…

Interleaved practice combined with comparison prompts can better foster students' adaptive use of subtraction strategies compared to blocked practice. It has not been previously investigated whether all students benefit equally from these teaching approaches. While interleaving subtraction tasks prompts students' attention to the different task…

The exploration of children's drawings as mathematical representations is a current focus in early years mathematics education research. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of 72 kindergarten to Grade 3 (5 to 8 years old) children's drawings produced during problem-solving tasks centred on multiplicative strategies. Existing frameworks for…

Mathematical problem solving remains a struggle for many students today (Celebioglu et al., 2010; Englard, 2010; Gavaz et al., 2021; N. H. Lee et al., 2014; Yeo, 2011). Though intervention studies have reported measured impact on improving students' problem-solving abilities (Gavaz et al., 2021; Gidalevich & Kramarski, 2019; N. H. Lee et al.,…

The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) approach is an instructional framework for teaching math wherein students move from using concrete materials to solve problems to using visual representations of the materials, and finally abstract concepts. This study provides a literature synthesis and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of the CRA…

Students with mathematics difficulty, especially students with disabilities and emergent bilinguals, require careful consideration during word-problem instruction. Word problems that include relational terms such as more but are not easily solved using the implied operation (i.e., addition) can be particularly challenging. First, we summarize a…

Having students solve shape puzzles, such as with pattern blocks or tangrams, is a popular way to encourage students to compose shapes in different ways and talk about the effects of different compositions (Clements et al., 2004; Clements & Sarama, 2009; Sales, 1994), meeting Common Core geometry standards in kindergarten through second grade…