Supporting students in becoming effective problem solvers is a critical component of K-12 mathematics instruction. Unfortunately, little is known about the factors that are related to problem solving proficiency in middle school students. We report the results of a study that employed a hierarchical linear regression analysis to examine the…

The purpose of this study is to examine how proportional reasoning is introduced and developed in two widely used U.S. and Korean mathematics textbooks for grades 6-7. Seven research-based frameworks that identify student learning opportunities for understanding of proportional reasoning were used to analyze the textbooks. The results showed that…

There are strong motivations to implement integrated STEAM activities that engage with key ideas in mathematics. In integrating mathematics with other STEM disciplines, however, epistemic tensions can emerge. Rather than attempting to suppress, avoid, or adjudicate these tensions, we propose a strategy of "epistemic rekeying," in which…

In this study, we investigated how sixth and seventh grade students used CODAP to make sense of roller coaster data while engaged in Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA). Using instrumentation theory, we examined students' instrumentation approaches, as well as the types of instrumental orchestration utilized by teachers as they interacted with student…

Middle school students (n=144) worked with an applet specially designed to introduce the concept of function without using algebraic representations. The purpose of the study was to examine whether the applet would help students to understand function as a relationship between a set of inputs and a set of outputs and to begin to develop a…

In solving mathematics problems in collaboration, students encounter a range of mathematical and social struggles. As teachers cannot possibly respond to every such struggle, they may need to respond to those with which students require most support. Yet, little is known about students' success in overcoming the various types of struggle they…

This study aims to explore seventh-grade students' understanding of negative integers as they engaged in mathematics history integrated model-eliciting activities in small groups. For this educational case study, we designed model-eliciting activities based on six design principles of the models-and-modeling perspective that incorporated history…

In this report I have created an exploratory framework to identify opportunities to engage in literacy practices within mathematics curriculum materials. This framework describes "unstructured literacy opportunities" and "structured literacy opportunities" for each of the language modalities of reading, writing, speaking, and…

This study reviews how slope is developed in expository materials across a seven-textbook series. Slope development is analyzed using a framework of five slope components to describe which components are used and connected, and by investigating accompanying levels of covariational reasoning. Findings suggest that the series describes slope from…

Interest-driven activities, such as mathematical play, can support student agency, motivation, and engagement, and can foster dispositions that reflect authentic disciplinary engagement. However, the bulk of research on mathematical play investigates the mathematics that emerges in young children's natural play or in informal spaces such as video…

Middle school is a critical time when students begin formal study of functional relationships in algebra. However, many students struggle in understanding functions as relationships between quantities that change according to a dependency relationship. We report on the influence of Scaling Continuous Covariation in fostering productive ideas about…

In this study, we explored teachers' attention to and flexibility with referent units as well as how teachers' understanding of referent units is related to their performance on other fraction concepts and their professional background. By using data collected from 246 U.S. mathematics teachers in Grades 3-7 where fractions are taught, we found…

One of the most intransigent problems in mathematics education is the culturally-influenced divide between classroom practice and educational research. This paper describes our explicit attempt to bridge that divide by translating research on instructional practices linked to improving students' mathematics achievement into a brief guide outlining…

A design experiment with 18 students in a regular seventh grade math class was conducted to investigate how to differentiate instruction for students' diverse ways of thinking during a 26-day unit on proportional reasoning. The class included students operating with three different multiplicative concepts that have been found to influence rational…

As teachers shift their practice from traditional student-to-teacher interaction patterns to collaborative discussions around rich mathematics, they often encounter instructional challenges. One such challenge is deciding when to pursue interesting and productive ideas that run contrary to the particular mathematical goal of the lesson. In this…