Statistics anxiety is a reality among many students that may affect their academic and professional lives. Although there are instructional strategies proven to demonstrate advanced statistical concepts, a method to mitigate statistics anxiety in introductory courses is lacking. This research examines the effectiveness of three interventions used…

This study describes the ways in which 36 preservice elementary teachers (PSETs) incorporated text into slides (n = 158) they designed for use with K-5 students during whole-group mathematics instruction. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to determine the extent and purposes for which the PSETs used slide text. Overall, 80% of slides…

Investigators often rely on the proportion of correct responses in an assessment when describing the impact of early mathematics interventions on child outcomes. Here, we propose a shift in focus to the relative sophistication of problem-solving strategies and offer methodological guidance to researchers interested in working with strategies. We…

Developing models and using mathematics are two key practices in internationally recognized science education standards such as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013). In this paper, we used a virtual performance-based formative assessment to capture students' competencies at both "developing" and "evaluating"…

This paper presents the findings of a study involving 16 undergraduate students enrolled in a basic financial mathematics course. The study aimed to examine the nature of the students' problem-posing and problem-solving products and processes, as well as the interactions between the two. The findings revealed that the majority of the posed…

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is a pedagogical approach employed in educational contexts, wherein digital games are utilised to effectively attain specific learning outcomes. For teacher professional programmes to develop appropriate curricula on DGBL pedagogy, it is important to understand how teachers currently use DGBL in their teaching…

This study investigates how preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) engage and reflect on two science disciplinary practices: engaging with representations and engaging in evidence-based arguments. In the context of elementary science, teachers blend multiple practices across curricular topics and instruction. However, studies of teachers' use of…

This article presents student teacher and teacher educator experiences of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with a mathematics focus as offered by a university of technology in the Western Cape, a province of South Africa. Experiences are explored by using selection process, modality, curriculum, and assessment as themes.…

The work in this dissertation is presented in two parts. The first part (Chapters 3 and 4) details work relating to students' explanations of reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry. The second part (Chapters 5 and 6) details work relating to the evaluating the uptake of research-based instructional practices in introductory chemistry,…

A method is presented which can be used to obtain analytical solutions for boundary value problems (BVPs) using the matrix exponential and Maple. Systems of second order, linear differential equations are expressed as two or more first order equations in matrix form, and their solutions are obtained using the matrix exponential, matrix…

Purpose: Research shows that postsecondary students are largely unaware of the impact of algorithms on their everyday lives. Also, most noncomputer science students are not being taught about algorithms as part of the regular curriculum. This exploratory, qualitative study aims to explore subject-matter experts' insights and perceptions of the…

We describe how an instructor integrated embodiment to teach the Fundamental Homomorphism Theorem (FHT) and preliminary concepts in an undergraduate abstract algebra course. The instructor's use of embodiment reduced levels of abstraction for formal definitions, theorems, and proofs. The instructor's simultaneous use of various forms of embodiment…

Gestures are one of the ways in which mathematical cognition is embodied and have been elevated as a potentially important semiotic device in the teaching of mathematics. As such, a better understanding of gestures used during mathematics instruction (including frequency of use, types of gestures, how they are used, and the possible relationship…

Extended reality (XR) -- encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) -- emerges as a potential transformative tool in educational realms. This article explores the potential of XR in facilitating mathematics assessments; it proposes a list of mathematical topics that could be effectively mediated by XR's…

Active learning is becoming more widely accepted in mathematics as a superior teaching method for student learning and, as a result, faculty are increasingly convinced of the benefits. Our study was designed to close a research gap by determining how to support mathematics faculty in transforming their instruction to active learning. We…