In this study, we examine how inservice secondary mathematics teachers working together on a contextualized problem negotiate issues arising from the ill-structured nature of the problem such as what assumptions one may make, what real-world considerations should be taken into account, and what constitutes a satisfactory solution. We conceptualize…

Making connections during math instruction is a recommended practice, but may increase the difficulty of the lesson. We used an avatar video instructor to qualitatively examine the role of linking multiple representations for 24 middle school students learning algebra. Students were taught how to solve polynomial multiplication problems, such as…

Problem solving is a critical competency for modern world and also an effective way of learning. Education should not only transfer domain-specific knowledge to students, but also prepare them to solve real-life problems--to apply knowledge from one or several domains within specific situation. Problem solving as teaching tool is known for a long…

The purpose of the dissertation is to investigate three particular aspects that may affect the transition between a third grade Montessori system and a fourth grade non-Montessori system, specifically within the context of teaching and learning mathematics. These aspects are 1) the change in pacing and structure of the classroom, 2) the removal of…

The climate, being a complex system, is difficult for people to understand. If better education is to be designed to improve the public's understanding of the subject, educators must be aware of the prior knowledge that students bring with them to the classroom since it is through that prism that people make sense of the world. As such, the aim of…

In this paper, we re-examine the commonly-held notion that typical problems, such as textbook exercises and examination questions, are not useful for orchestrating mathematically-rich learning experiences. Drawing from a larger design-based research project, we present a case study of Alice, a secondary school teacher, who orchestrated a…

In this paper, we report on how Year 5 and 6 students (10 to 13 years old) solve reverse fraction problems; that is, where students are required to find the quantity of an unknown whole given a known partial quantity and its equivalent fraction of the unknown whole. To what extent do students' solutions generalise fraction structures that indicate…

Engineering is a relevant tool to solve current challenges in a variety of fields. There is a demand for engineers in the workforce and a method to solve that demand is to introduce students to engineering prior to college coursework. One of the ways that students can engage with engineering earlier is through engineering design projects. This…

In "The Critical Advantage," noted scholar and early childhood expert William T. Gormley, Jr. takes a wide ranging look at the important role of critical thinking in preparing students for college, careers, and civic life. Drawing on research from psychology, philosophy, business, political science, neuroscience, and other disciplines,…

This paper draws on a recent study of teaching experiments in a Danish gymnasium (upper secondary school) context. The aim of the study was to afford students time to devise creative solutions to specific problems in each subject area. For the purposes of the study, abductive reasoning, applied to ordinary subjects in the classroom in a high…

The successful implementation of an enterprise system requires training and end users in the new systems and procedures. There has been no research reporting a relationship between Domain Expertise (DE) and the successful implementation of an enterprise system. This study sought to begin filling this knowledge gap by exploring the relationship…

International assessments in higher education are especially challenging because differences across countries (e.g., educational systems, SES) increase the complexity of testing. This becomes even more challenging when using performance-based assessments, which are becoming more prominent in assessment programs. ANVUR collaborated with the Council…

One of the most challenging tasks in the field of Educational Data Mining (EDM) is to cluster students directly based on system-student sequential moment-to-moment interactive trajectories. The objective of this study is to build a general temporal clustering framework that captures the distinct characteristics of students' sequential behaviors…

To date, few qualitative studies and an even smaller number of quantitative studies investigating teacher boredom reside in the literature. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine teacher boredom and its antecedents and correlates. Specifically, we chose to examine teacher boredom in relation to achievement goals, control and value…

This dissertation targets young students' developing knowledge relevant to a fundamental practice in academic mathematics: the use of diagrams to represent idealized mathematical objects whose properties are established by definition (as in the use of drawn dots to represent zero-dimensional points and drawn lines to represent one-dimensional…