The gender-sensitive analysis of influencing factors on mathematical performance of primary school pupils can yield valuable insights into facilitating this vital phase of pupils' educational trajectory. We view gender-sensitive mathematical performance in primary school based on works of Niklas (Psychologie in Erziehung und Unterricht, 62, 106,…

In the present study, we investigated the impact of a word-problem intervention in retention and acquisition of knowledge after the intervention ended. We based analyses upon Grade 4 students experiencing mathematics difficulty (average age at pretest = 8.77) who received one of two variants of a word-problem intervention (with [n = 111] vs.…

Recent work has demonstrated that having students study worked examples and answer self-explanation prompts as part of their problem-solving practice improves learning on researcher-developed measures of mathematical proficiency. However, little work has been done to date to investigate whether these benefits translate to improvements on the types…

Given the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices, it is critical to understand how pre-service teachers' past school experiences impact on their beliefs about teaching. There is a growing recognition of the influence of preservice teachers' prior mathematical experiences on their beliefs regarding mathematics instruction in the primary…

Recent research on multimedia learning has considered the integration of cognitive and affective aspects of media processing. The literature suggests that learners' emotions influence the effectiveness of multimedia learning, which is explained by the cognitive-affective theory of learning with media (CATLM). A multimedia design that changes…

When presented with a problem in mathematics class, students often function as problem performers rather than problem solvers (Rigelman 2007). That is, rather than understanding the problem, students focus on using an operation to complete it. Students' tendencies to act as problem performers can prevent them from suggesting problem-solving…

This article describes a process called "Backing Up" which is a way to preassess student understanding of a topic and gauge student readiness to move forward in the learning process. This process of backing up begins with using responses to a word problem to identify categories of students' understandings in relation to the expectations…

The vast development and expansion of educational technology has led to the deconstruction of various barriers and challenges that the traditional approaches were incapable of overcoming. However, a field that still holds a great deal of interest and needs to be strengthened concerns the practices that surround mathematics education. Digital…

The purpose of this study is to examine how fifth grade students were impacted by the infusion of multiple writing tasks in mathematics. In this study, writing tasks provided opportunities for students to communicate prior knowledge, share ideas to construct and justify arguments, for reflection, and assessment. In this deductive qualitative…

Despite the numerous benefits that stem from a coherent mathematical understanding, it is uncommon for teachers to encourage students to form a developed web of mathematical connections (Mousley, 1999). Additionally, when students explain their thinking, they frequently do not state how their reasoning connects to prior knowledge. This obscures…

In a classroom teaching experiment, we explored fifth graders' ability to identify relationships in and between two patterns--what we may refer to as functional relationships. Conventional functions curricula are dominated by defining relationships between two patterns via a rule, describing how to find y or f(x) given a particular value for x…

This research targets children's informal strategies and knowledge of fractions by examining their ability to create, interpret, and connect representations in doing and communicating mathematics when solving fractions tasks. Our research group followed a constant comparative method to analyze clinical interviews of children in grades 2-6 solving…

Measurement is an important component of K-grade 12 mathematics curricula. The concepts of area and perimeter of polygons are first introduced in third grade and serve as the basis for teaching in the upper grades. Without a strong understanding of measurement, students will struggle to meaningfully grasp three-dimensional measurement concepts…

The language that students use with whole numbers can be insufficient when learning integers. This is often the case when children interpret addition as "getting more" or "going higher." In this study, we explore whether instruction on mapping directed magnitudes to operations helps 88 second graders and 70 fourth graders solve…

In this study, I examine how using a writers' workshop model in mathematics creates a space for students to write about their mathematical thinking and problem solving and how their writing impacts instruction. This case study of one classroom with one teacher spanned 6 weeks and included 18 implementations of an adapted version of the Writers'…