Numerical thinking is needed to recognize, interpret, determine patterns, and solve problems that contain the context of life. Self-efficacy is one aspect that supports the numerical thinking process. This study aims to obtain a numerical thinking profile of Mathematics pre-service teachers based on self-efficacy. This study used descriptive qualitative method. The data obtained were based on the results of questionnaires, tests, and interviews. The results of the self-efficacy questionnaire were analyzed and categorized (high, moderate, and low). Two informants took each category. The results showed the following: informants in the high self-efficacy category tend to be able to interpret information, communicate information, and solve problems with systematic steps. Informants in the moderate self-efficacy category tend to be able to interpret and communicate information, but tend to be hesitant in choosing the sequence of problem-solving steps. Meanwhile, informants in the low self-efficacy category tend not to be able to fully interpret the information. As a result, the process of communicating information and solving problems goes wrong. Another aspect found in this study is the need for experience optimization, a good understanding of mathematical content, and reasoning in the numerical thinking process.

This study aimed to investigate essential employability skills for English as a foreign language (EFL) students in the Mekong Delta for the context of the 21st century. It was also to determine the similarities and differences between the important employability skills from the perspectives of the employers and EFL students. In this study, a questionnaire was delivered to EFL students who were juniors and seniors at a university in the South of Vietnam, majoring in English Education and English Studies (English Interpreter). At the same time, interviews were realized on both EFL students and employers. The findings showed that both EFL students and employers highlighted the attributes of self-confidence, receptiveness to feedback, and the use of body language in communication. The types of employability skills are similarly recognized among employers and EFL students in the same fields of employment. However, a significant difference was also found among employers on different job-specific skills. The results also indicated that EFL undergraduates were all highly aware of preparing the employability skills for their future professions.

This study aimed to explore online and distance learning (ODL) issues related to higher education during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nepal. We applied an online survey design with a five-point Likert scale. We surveyed 71 (57 male and 14 female) postgraduate students in science education at a public higher education institution in Kathmandu, Nepal. A Principal Component Analysis identified four major constructs as the components of ODL issues. They are scarcity, efficiency, access, and inconvenience. The results of the Independent Samples Test (t-test and ANOVA) showed that participants' views about scarcity were significantly different across their gender (male and female) and device use (mobile, laptop, and desktop). They were not significantly different in their views about efficiency, access, and inconvenience across gender, device use, hometown, age group, ethnicity, and school type at .05 level of significance.

Despite receiving increasing attention from mathematics education scholars, there has not yet been any overall understanding of the current state of realistic mathematics education (RME). To address this gap, this study aims to provide a review of 288 studies on realistic mathematics education from the Scopus database between 1972 and 2019. Using descriptive and bibliometric analyses, this study addresses four research issues as follows: (i) the total volume, growth trajectory, and geographic distribution; (ii) the most influencing authors and research groups; (iii) the most influencing sources (i.e., journals, books, conferences); and (iv) the most important topics. Several implications for not only mathematics education scholars but also other stakeholders, including policymakers, school managers, mathematics teachers, may not be considered in this study.

Lesson planning is considered to be an important and efficient tool for effective teaching and learning process. Preparations of effective lesson plan requires teachers to be competent in the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study investigated how the mathematics teachers’ PCK impact their competences on designing effective lesson plans. Twelve in-service mathematics teachers from public secondary schools in Unguja-Island (Zanzibar) of Tanzania were involved. The data were collected using the reviewing of the teachers’ mathematics lesson plan documents and teachers’ interview. The data were analyzed in both quantitative and qualitative mode based on the lesson plan framework guideline (LPFG) and the criteria for better planning of the sections jointly with PCK abilities indicators. The percentage average of occurrence of the sections in the teachers’ designed lesson plan (DLP) and the percentage of occurrence of different category within the sections of the DLP in relation to the criteria were determined. Also, the challenges faced by the teachers in their DLP were identified. The result of the analysis revealed that the PCK competences of mathematics teachers are not good enough to impact their DLP, as some of their designing lesson plan sections were occurred inconsistently. Also, the implementation of PCK competences for effective mathematics teaching found to be at developing stage, as some criteria related to it were not clearly observed in their DLP. The study recommends the demand of in-service training for mathematics teachers on the implementation of teachers’ competences particularly PCK in the lesson plan designing for effective classroom practices.

This research investigated the correlations among problem-solving, coping styles, and stress levels of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and typical development. We used a correlational survey model design and collected the data with the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), and the Parent Stress Scale (PSS). The study group consisted of 350 parents. The research findings revealed that stress levels were negatively correlated with functional coping strategies and problem-solving. We found no significant difference between parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and typical development in terms of problem-solving approaches. Considering the relationships between the parents in terms of WCQ scores, there was no statistically significant difference in the subscales of self-confidence approach, submissiveness, optimistic approach, and seeking social support. Only the subscale of helplessness differed statistically based on the disability. Regarding the correlations between the groups in terms of stress levels, we found that the typical developmental group had lower PSS scores than the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder groups. We believe that preventive support programs for stress management can make significant contributions to efficient coping methods and problem-solving.

This study investigated student teachers’ teaching self-efficacy level and factors that predict it (using five-factor mentoring model). Two hundred and ten third and fourth-year student teachers (N=100/N=110; 93.8% females) were involved in the study and asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. The “Mentoring for Effective Primary Teaching” instrument and “Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale” were used to collect the data. Findings indicated that higher levels of student teachers' self-efficacy are positively associated with the level of mentoring experience during the teaching practicum. The results found that fourth-year students reported significantly higher levels of teaching self-efficacy than third-year students. This study reported that there is a significant mean difference in student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in terms of having parents in the teaching profession. A multiple regression found that mentor teachers’ personal attributes are the best predictor of student teachers' teaching self-efficacy beliefs.

This study expounds how the analysis of move and transitivity in the method, result, and discussion sections contributes to the advancement of novice writers’ writing skills by providing a writing pattern applied when composing research articles. To this aim, a qualitative approach with descriptive technique is employed to encapsulate and explain the phenomena being studied. The data are the method, result, and discussion sections of research articles (RAs) drawn from top tier journals categorized as language and linguistics and analyzed based on macro structure (move and steps) and micro structure (transitivity). The results indicate that 11 moves and 38 steps discovered, in detail, these consist of three moves and 15 steps in method, four moves and 10 steps in result, and four moves and 13 steps in discussion. As for the successions of the move steps, few inter-move step shifts observed. This is in contrast with the outer-move step shifts that commonly occurred. Meanwhile, the outcomes of the transitivity analysis suggest that there are six processes revealed including material, relational, verbal, mental, existential, and behavioral consecutively with material dominating and behavioral the fewest. The results of the present study may supplement the teaching materials reside in English for a research purpose.  

The purpose of the study was to determine whether emphasising the managerial domain of the preservice preschool teachers’ curriculum is capable to improve their management and leadership skills. This study used the mixed-method methodology that combined the exploratory design and the experimental design. It included three basic phases such as feasibility assessment of making changes to the curriculum, intervention, and controlled observation, followed by the analytical phase. It was proved that the university curriculum upgraded the training approach by using the guided interim directorship. This change addressed the Professional Standard requirements for the preschool heads as well as job requirements. The intervention produced a positive shift in students’ skills of micromanagement, long-term planning, communicating vision, emotional control, and mentoring. There was a shift from the basic level of management skills before the intervention to the intermediate level of the skills after the intervention. The number of students with a superior level of skills increased by 11.54% as well. The students’ comments concerning the integration of the managerial component into the curriculum were complimentary. The observers’ reports suggested that they appreciated the students' work which was the outcome of the updated curriculum.

The increase of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States of America (USA) public school classrooms and the diversification of the global education landscape urges initial teacher preparation programs to equip mainstream teachers with appropriate skills, knowledge, and dispositions to teach ELLs. This paper reports findings from a focus group study on elementary teacher candidates' (TCs') field experiences with ELLs. Based on interviews with four groups of TCs who completed their two practicums with ELLs, the study illustrates how mainstream TCs perceive their field experiences as future teachers of ELLs. The findings suggest that TCs recognize dissonances and develop care toward ELLs through their engagements in ELL-specific field experiences. The study also demonstrates how the recognition of dissonances led to changes in TCs' beliefs and values, which was observed through their imagination. Informed by their field experiences with ELLs, TCs began forming professional agency as future teachers by imagining specific teaching strategies, methods, and approaches they would like to implement with ELLs. Implications and future directions of teacher education programs are also discussed.

The embodiment of teacher leadership has currently shifted onto the practice of teacher collaboration due to its potential to solve students’ problems such as low critical thinking skills. Accordingly, this study quantitatively aimed to examine the effect of teacher collaboration on educational management students’ critical thinking skills as well as their critical thinking retention. Subsequently, it qualitatively investigated the students’ perspectives on teacher collaboration. 60 students selected randomly took part in the experimentation, in which 30 students were taught with teacher collaboration, and other 30 students were taught with individual lecturing. 10 students taught with teacher collaboration were further selected purposively to be interviewed for the qualitative investigation. Descriptive statistics alongside paired and independent t-tests were deployed to analyze the experiment results, and an interactive model was adopted to analyze the qualitative findings. The experiment showed that teacher collaboration had a more positive and significant effect on students’ critical thinking skills than its counterpart did. The students taught with teacher collaboration enjoyed good retention of critical thinking skills as well. The students perceived that teacher collaboration improved their collaborative skills, awareness, and metacognitive skills in learning. Implication, limitation, and recommendation are discussed.

This study examined the relationship between Japanese language (JL) anxiety, beliefs about JL learning, and the amount of JL used in JL classes. The participants in this study were 670 undergraduate students studying JL at the Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand, as compulsory subjects. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and a stepwise multiple regression analysis found that the amount of JL used by learners had a negative relationship with JL anxiety and a positive relationship with beliefs about JL learning and the amount of JL used by both native Thai and Japanese teachers. In addition, JL anxiety interacted with the amount of JL used by native Japanese teachers and beliefs about JL learning. JL teachers, especially native Japanese teachers, should attempt to reduce their learners' JL anxiety in order to maximize the effect of teachers’ JL use and learners’ beliefs and to support them in using JL more in classes.

Learning by teaching is a technique where students teach an actual class to facilitate active learning. This paper reports ongoing research involving undergraduate students at an established university in Indonesia. The objective of this quantitative study was to find out the effect of this teaching technique in improving students’ 21st century skills. The sample was selected using a cluster sampling technique, where 25 students who were English as a Foreign Language pre-service teachers were assigned to an experimental group, and the other 23 students were treated as a control group. The students in the experimental group were asked to conduct a workshop in groups to students from the same department at a different university. Each group selected one of the topics in their course syllabus. A pre-test measuring the students’ soft skills was conducted before the course started and after it finished. The results show that soft skills, which include accountability, communication, innovation, problem-solving, teamwork, professional working, and networking skills, improved significantly among students in the experimental group, but the improvement was not evident in the control group. Therefore, learning by teaching should be embraced as an alternative teaching technique when soft-skill development becomes a target of instruction.

This study aimed to describe the differences in students' creative thinking skills in a problem-based learning model with scaffolding in the biochemistry course. This study was designed using a quantitative explanatory research design with a sample of 113 students of the Jambi University Chemistry Education Study Program. In this study, the researcher used the experimental class and control class. The sampling technique used is total sampling and purposive sampling. The research data was taken by observation, test, and interview methods. The quantitative data analysis used was the ANOVA test and continued with the Post-Hoc Scheffe’s test. The findings of this study indicate that the results of the ANOVA test indicate a significant difference in the average creative thinking results in terms of psychomotor aspects with the acquisition of significance scores of 0.000. In addition, the results of this study indicate that class A students have higher creative thinking skills than class B and class C. This is because class A students use a problem-based learning model integrated with scaffolding in their learning.

This study aimed to determine the effect of cognitive and affective factors on the performance of prospective mathematics teachers. Cognitive factors include cognitive independence level and working memory capacity, while affective factor include math anxiety. Mathematical performance was then assessed as basic math skills, advanced math skills and problem-solving ability. This research combined quantitative and qualitative research methods. In order to determine the effects of cognitive independence, working memory capacity, and math anxiety on math performance, multiple regression tests were used. To then see the effects of these three factors on problem-solving ability, a qualitative approach was used. Eighty-seven prospective math teachers participated in this study. Based on the results of the multiple regression, it was found that the level of cognitive independence affects basic math skills but has no effect on advanced math skills. Working memory capacity was seen to positively affect math performance (basic and advanced math skills, problem-solving skills), while mathematics anxiety demonstrated negative effects on advanced math skills and problem-solving skills.

In higher education, it is essential that students apply what they have learned to solve problems in their community. Meaningful learning is the main means to increase the accumulation of knowledge and achieve the transfer of learning, which is why the present study aimed to: design and evaluate the psychometric properties of a scale that measures the application of learning strategies that promote meaningful learning. The participants were 890 university students from Northeast Mexico, with an average age of 20.35 years (SD = 3.94). The sample was randomly divided into two: an exploratory factor analysis was carried out with the first sample and a confirmatory factor analysis was made in the second sample. The results obtained confirm the eight-dimensional structure, which showed an adequate fit to the data (χ2 / gl = 3.57, GFI = .96, AGFI = .95, NFI = .94, RMSEA = .08 and SRMR = .07), high parsimony (RP = .93), in addition to good internal consistency (ω ≥ .80) and convergent validity (AVE ≥ .40). In conclusion, the scale presents adequate psychometric properties to measure the frequency of use of strategies that promote meaningful learning in Mexican university students.

Problem-solving process requires information processing, and the information processing is related to working memory capacity (WMC). This study aims to determine the effect of WMC on students' mathematical abilities and to describe the ability of the students with high and low WMC in solving mathematical problems. This research used mixed method with Sequential Explanatory Design. The quantitative data were collected through the provision of OSPAN tasks and math tests to 58 students aged 15-17 years, while the qualitative data were collected through interviews based on mathematical problem-solving tasks. The results showed that WMC had a significant effect on students' mathematical abilities (R=0.536; p=0.000). Researchers found differences in students' mathematical problem-solving abilities with high and low WMC. Students with high WMC can remember and manage information well which supports the determination of more advanced problem-solving strategies and have better attention control so that they find varied appropriate solutions. Students with low WMC experienced decreased attention control as the complexity of the tasks increased, missed important information in problem solving strategies, and did not recheck their work, leading to wrong solution/answer. The mathematical performance of students with high WMC outperformed the mathematical performance of students with low WMC.

This research is a developmental research aiming at developing a good mathematical test instrument using polytomous responses based on classical and modern theories. This research design uses the Plomp model, which consists of five stages, (1) preliminary investigation, (2) design, (3) realization/construction, (4) revision, and (5) implementation (testing). The study was conducted in three vocational schools in Lampung Province, Indonesia. The study involved 413 students, consisting of 191 male and 222 female students. The data were collected through questionnaire and test. The questionnaire was used to identify the assessment instruments currently employed by teachers and to be validated by the experts of mathematics and educational evaluation. The test used an open polytomous response test numbering of 40 items. The data were analyzed using both classical and modern theories. The results show that (1) the open polytomous response test has a good category according to classical and modern theory. However, the discrimination power of test items in classical theory needs several revisions, (2) the assessment instrument using the polytomous response of open multiple choice can guarantee information on the actual competence of students. This is proven by the fact that there is a harmony between the analysis result obtained from classical and modern theory from the students' arguments when giving reasons for their choices. Therefore, the open polytomous response test can be used as an alternative to learning assessment.

Prospective teachers facing the 21st century are expected to have the ability to solve problems with a computer mindset. Problems in learning mathematics also require the concept of computational thinking (CT). However, many still find it challenging to solve this problem. The subjects in this study were twenty-one prospective mathematics teachers who took number theory courses, and then two research samples were selected using the purposive sampling technique. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method to describe the thinking process of prospective teachers in solving Diophantine linear equation problems. The results showed that the first subject's thought process was started by turning the problem into a mathematical symbol, looking for the Largest Common Factor (LCF) with the Euclidean algorithm, decomposition process, and evaluation. The second subject does not turn the problem into symbols and does not step back in the algorithm. The researcher found that teacher candidates who found solutions correctly in their thinking process solved mathematical problem used CT components, including reflective abstraction thinking, algorithmic thinking, decomposition, and evaluation. Further research is needed to develop the CT components from the findings of this study on other materials through learning with a CT approach.

Vietnam has a reputation for being a successful nation in preventing the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in 2020, with a lower number of illnesses than other ASEAN countries. However, to ensure that students are safe and informed about the coronavirus outbreak, Vietnamese higher education has developed online learning (OL). During the COVID-19 epidemic, this paper explores the relationship between elements such as learning readiness, learning strategies, and learning performance in the Vietnamese OL setting. Four hundred undergraduate students were randomly selected from Hong Duc universities, and Saigon University participated in this study in different zones. Analyzed data has applied structural equation modeling (SEM) using partial least squares (SmartPLS-SEM). The findings found that Vietnamese students were much more likely to believe in interaction in OL, to feel comfortable using a computer with their computer efficacy, and to have confidence in communicating in the digital environment, all of which were important variables in assuring the success of using OL. The factors of “motivation” and “test preparation” show a poor relationship with learning performance. Therefore, the OL process in Vietnamese, on the other hand, needs to be more inventive, with a greater focus on lecturers' awareness and practice of online teaching pedagogies such as motivation, techniques, and test arrangement. During OL, students' readiness in terms of learning control, self-directed learning, and engagement must be considered and supported.