The teaching and learning fractions is one of the most problematic areas in primary school mathematics. A large number of studies have engaged paper-and-pencil test to measure students' instrumental understanding about fractions but few have sought to learn about children's fraction sense. This paper reports a study that investigated fraction…

As a part of the larger study, a case study of two seventh grade students, Peter and Willa, was conducted. To examine links between their fractional knowledge and algebraic reasoning, the students were interviewed twice, once for their fractional knowledge and once for their algebraic knowledge in writing linear equations that required explicit…

Historically, secondary students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) have made poor progress in mathematics putting them at risk for school failure and placement in an alternative setting. Two under studied areas essential to success in mathematics are fractions and algebra. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a…

Proficiency with fractions is one of the most significant predictors of later mathematics achievement. However, there are currently no meta-analyses that assess the literature base on fractions for students with or at risk for disabilities using quality indicators. We applied the 2014 Council for Exceptional Children Standards for Evidence-Based…

Competence with fractions is foundational to acquiring more advanced mathematical skills. However, achieving competency with fractions is challenging for many students, especially for those with mathematics learning difficulties who often lack foundational skill with whole numbers. Teaching fractions is also challenging for many teachers as they…

The study has two primary purposes. The first was to examine the efficacy of the "Super Solvers" Fractions Intervention (SSFI) for third-grade students at risk for mathematics learning disabilities (MLD). The second was to test the added value of embedding self-regulation instruction into the SSFI. Students were randomly assigned to a…

The research presented in this article reports on the results of a case study examining the classroom practice of one early career Grade 4 teacher (Nox, pseudonym) as she teaches equivalent fractions. The goal was to explore the ways and extent to which her instruction reflected a dialogical teaching approach, defined as a pedagogical approach…

This study investigated 111 pre-service teachers' (PSTs') flexibility with referent units in solving a fraction division problem using a length model. Participants' written solutions to a measurement fraction division problem were analyzed in terms of strategies and types of errors, using an inductive content analysis approach. Findings suggest…

Magnitude understanding is critical for students to develop a deep understanding of fractions and more advanced mathematics curriculum. The research reports in this special issue underscore magnitude understanding for fractions and emphasize number lines as both an assessment and an instructional tool. In this commentary, we discuss how number…

The three target articles presented in this special issue converged on an emerging theme: the importance of spatial proportional reasoning. They suggest that the ability to map between symbolic fractions (like 1/5) and nonsymbolic, spatial representations of their sizes or "magnitudes" may be especially important for building robust…

Many children and adults have difficulty gaining a comprehensive understanding of rational numbers. Although fractions are taught before decimals and percentages in many countries, including the USA, a number of researchers have argued that decimals are easier to learn than fractions and therefore teaching them first might mitigate children's…

In this proposal, I share a synthesized framework that incorporates mathematics education with game design principles. This framework was used to design a videogame that supported mathematical play with fractions, and I share excerpts of middle school students playing the game to validate the synthesized framework.

Fractions remain a difficult concept for students at the elementary level. On that ground, prospective teachers need to develop the conceptual knowledge to have a deep understanding of the concept and how the concepts are related to each other. Furthermore, they must be able to explain the concepts through media in the form of concrete objects or…

Previous research has shown knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes are essential factors during mathematics classroom instruction. The current study examined the effects of a 3-week fraction instructional unit using concrete models, problem-solving, and problem-posing to improve elementary preservice teachers' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes…

Increasingly, mathematics is being positioned as a tool to support students' understandings of social (in)justice and their own unique social positioning in the world. To this end, this study analyzes the impact of curricular reform efforts in an elementary mathematics content course. The course focused on fractions and statistics, and the course…