A crucial component of mathematics curriculum in primary education is represented by the ability to solve arithmetic word problems. Previous studies investigated predominantly the cognitive factors underlying this skill, neglecting the role of emotional (e.g. math anxiety -- MA) and metacognitive aspects (e.g. perceived difficulty). Some findings…

How can school mathematics prepare citizens for a democratic society? Answers to this question are not static; they change as society and its problems change. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with its corresponding disease COVID-19 presents such a problem: what is needed to navigate this complex situation that involves, among other things, mathematics?…

In recent years, numerous research studies have highlighted how teachers' perceptions of educational robotics (ER) and their sense of self-efficacy can influence the learning process. Although different instruments exist to investigate teachers' perspectives on ER, the Robotics Interest Questionnaire (RIQ) scale, developed within the Portuguese…

Introduction: The present study examined the efficacy of the universal prevention version of the Coping Power Program in reducing behavioral and emotional problems and in promoting prosocial behaviors in middle-school classrooms. Methods: The study used a randomized control study design; and the sample included 839 middle-school Italian youths…

The Survey of Adult Skills is a product of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Survey of Adult Skills aims to measure the skills needed by adults to participate in society and for economies to prosper. The 2023 survey assessed…

The use of digital technologies in teaching and learning processes has opened new and wide frontiers in mathematics education. Research in education moves towards teaching and learning (and assessing) twenty-first-century skills and computer-based testing seems an interesting possibility for assessing such skills. From this perspective, comparing…

This paper focuses on difficulties that primary school students have in facing mathematical word problems. In particular, we are interested in exploring how they develop in the transition from grade 2 to grade 5. The research basis of the hypothesis is that some difficulties detected in grade 5 are already predictable in grade 2. Starting from the…

The digitalization of operations is disrupting frontline technical jobs, entailing new competency needs currently not being met by upper secondary education and corporate training programs. To discuss how technical universities can help bridge the resulting "middle-skills gap" without incurring an unwarranted academization of these…

A more motivating way of introducing students to probability theory is through real-world problems. Since heuristics play an important role in our probabilistic judgement, knowing how to avoid incorrect probabilistic reasoning, which leads to several biases, could help students to develop more critical thinking skills. In this paper, we present a…

In this paper, we finish describing the project and the experimentation of "Ricerca Operativa Applicazioni Reali" (ROAR; in English, Real Applications of Operations Research), a three-year project for higher secondary schools. ROAR is composed of three teaching units addressed to grades 10, 11, and 12, respectively. To improve students'…

In light of the recent interest in mathematical competencies and the ways in which students communicate their ideas, this study aims to explore how undergraduate students communicate their ideas about mathematical tasks through written texts. Forty-three first-year undergraduate students participated in this study. They were given a graph of a…

In this paper, we continue describing the project and the experimentation of "Ricerca Operativa Applicazioni Reali" (ROAR; in English, Real Applications of Operations Research), a three-year project for higher secondary schools, introduced. ROAR is composed of three teaching units, addressed to Grades 10, 11, and 12, respectively, having…

Children's arithmetic performance is dependent on the arithmetic task format, but little is known about how domain-specific and domain-general abilities contribute to solving diverse arithmetic problems. In this study, 145 Italian typically developing children between the ages of five and six, who have not yet received formal schooling, were…

Scientists have always been fascinated by transient far-from-equilibrium systems. Since the (early) 1970s, there have been literature reports on the implementation of didactic experiments as a tool for attracting and stimulating students' and general public interest. In this work, a group of 12 high school students, supported by their chemistry…

This work is part of an investigation conducted in Italy, which aims to explore the effects of instruction on secondary school students' combinatorial reasoning. We gave a questionnaire adapted from Navarro-Pelayo's research to two groups of students with and without instruction on combinatorics in order to analyse the students' performances and…