This research aims to determine second-year university students’ understanding in interpreting and representing fractions. A set of fraction tests was given to students through two direct learning interventions. An unstructured interview was used as an instrument to obtain explanations and confirmations from the purposive participants. A total of 112 student teachers of primary teacher education program at two private universities in Indonesia were involved in this research. A qualitative method with a holistic type case study design was used in this research. The results indicate that a significant percentage of the participants could not correctly interpret and represent fractions. In terms of interpretation, it is found how language could obscure the misunderstanding of fractions. Then, the idea of a fraction as part of a whole is the most widely used in giving meaning to a fraction compared to the other four interpretations, but with limited understanding. Regarding data representation, many participants failed to provide a meaningful illustration showing the improper fraction and mix number compared to the proper fraction. Improvement of fraction teaching at universities - particularly in primary teacher education programs - is needed so that students get the opportunity to develop and improve their knowledge profoundly. We discuss implications for teaching fractions.

Algebraic knowledge transfer is considered an important skill in problem-solving. Using algebraic knowledge transfer, students can connect concepts using common procedural similarities. This quasi-experimental study investigates the influence of algebraic knowledge in solving problems in a chemistry context by using analogical transformations. The impact of structured steps that students need to take during the process of solving stoichiometric problems was explicitly analyzed. A total of 108 eighth-grade students participated in the study. Of the overall number of students, half of them were included in the experimental classes, whereas the other half were part of the control classes. Before and after the intervention, contextual problems were administered twice to all the student participants. The study results indicate that the students of the experimental classes exposed to structured steps in solving algebraic problems and the procedural transformations scored better results in solving problems in mathematics for chemistry compared to their peers who did not receive such instruction. Nevertheless, the result shows that although the intervention was carried out in mathematics classes, its effect was more significant on students' achievements in chemistry. The findings and their practical implications are discussed at the end of the study.

The decline in student character is the result of low student learning outcomes. The common student learning outcomes are influenced by several factors, and one of them is teacher-centered, monotonous learning model. For this reason, it is deemed necessary to conduct research that aims to determine the effect of project-based assessment on values clarification technique (VCT) learning on improving students’ learning outcomes by controlling the family environment. This study uses a 2x2 factorial experimental design. The sample was selected through multistage random sampling with 120 students. The two-way ANCOVA data analysis technique was used to analyze the data. The findings obtained after controlling the family environment are: 1) civics learning outcomes from the group of students who used value clarification techniques are higher than those using conventional learning models and 2) civics learning outcomes from the group of students who were given project-based assessments are higher than the group who are given conventional assessments. Thus, it can be recommended that civics education teachers used appropriate VCT and project-based assessments to improve learning outcomes.

The delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning to improve an individual’s competence and future career interests has become a critical scientific undertaking for teachers and researchers alike. A plethora of research has proposed various hands-on robotics activities built on constructivist theories, thereby facilitating the development of knowledge based on reality for scientific and non-scientific stakeholders. Robotics may become an essential focus point within technology provision, which is an essential underlying characteristic for the seminal development of computational thinking (CT). However, despite the potential benefit of CT in developing an individual’s problem-solving skills, strategies for improving this ability through hands-on robotics activities largely remain underexplored. This paper highlights the constructs drawn from hands-on robotics activities in a STEM workshop designed for pre-service teacher students. The qualitative research design involved eight participants to investigate the responses of pre-service teachers to a hands-on robotics activity intended to provide STEM material. The research findings emphasise the correlations between the CT principles and STEM learning phases and underscore the roles played by educational robotics to enhance previous literature on learning experience.

This study aimed to investigate the impacts of enrolling in the creative teaching module in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education from high school students’ perspectives. This study applied a case study and qualitative research approach involving 26 Grade 11 students and 31 Grade 8 students. The creative teaching-STEM (CT-STEM) module, which comprised various activities related to energy literacy in real-world situations for the community’s well-being, involved outdoor STEM education activities with the assistance of two science teachers. The CT-STEM module was developed based on the directed creative process model by applying four creative teaching strategies: (i) constructivism learning, (ii) discovery inquiry, (iii) problem-based learning, and (iv) project-based learning. The theme of these out-of-classroom activities is sustainability education, focusing on energy sustainability. The results showed that the planned approaches could positively impact and build students’ creativity and create an exciting learning experience. Furthermore, the findings from the open-ended questionnaire instrument, observations, and analysis of the worksheets have shown enhancements in five themes: the development of problem-solving skills with an emphasis on the element of sustainability education, high-level thinking skills, active learning skills, communication skills, and humanity skills. The students also showed an increased interest in STEM as they learned using the CT-STEM module.

The article deals with financial education. The data were collected as part of the Slovenian project “NA-MA POTI” (NAroslovje, MAtematika, Pismenost, Opolnomočenje, Tehnologija, Interaktivnost- Science, Mathematics, Literacy, Empowerment, Technology, Interactivity), which aims, among other things, to promote financial literacy at the national level. The aim of the survey presented here is to determine teachers’ attitudes towards financial literacy and their teaching strategies in teaching topics related to financial literacy. A total of 158 teachers participated in the survey. The results show that most teachers agree that financial literacy is important. Those teachers who agreed that financial literacy is important were also statistically significantly more likely to use group work, approaches and work methods that require the development of critical thinking and authentic tasks, which provides a good foundation for knowledge transfer in everyday life.

The pandemic era has caused changes in the learning system. The situation demanded online learning and triggered students to have learning difficulties. The research aims to examine the impact of social media, social environment, and student learning potential on student learning difficulties. This study utilizes a quantitative approach. The respondents were university students experiencing online learning in West Java, Indonesia. A questionnaire validated by four experts was distributed to 539 of them. Accommodating structural equation modeling (SEM) by evaluating the measurement and structural models was used in data analysis. This study revealed that the instrument had good construct validity and reliability. A good instrument will produce a good measurement process so that the instrument can get the data needed. Hypothesis testing shows that high media activity can inhibit students from learning. However, social media activity directly influences learning difficulties. Meanwhile, the variables of learning potential and social environment positively influence student learning difficulties directly or indirectly. There are a few things to note on learning potential, social environment, and social media to delve into their influences on students' learning difficulties.

The skill to solve mathematical problems facilitates students to develop their basic skills to solve problems in daily life. This study analyzes students' problem-solving process with a reflective cognitive style in constructing probability problems using action, process, object, and schema theory (APOS). The explanatory method was used in this qualitative study. The participants were mathematics students at the Department of Mathematics, Universitas Negeri Semarang. The researchers collected the data with the cognitive style test using the Matching Familiar Figure Test (MFFT), used a valid problem-solving skill test, and the interview questions. The data analysis techniques used were processing and preparing the data for analysis, extensive reading of the data, coding all data, applying the coding process, describing the data, and interpreting the data. The results showed that (1) the problem-solving process of students with symbolic representation was characterized by the use of mathematical symbols to support the problem-solving process in the problem representation phase; (2) the problem-solving process of students with symbolic-visual representation was characterized by the use of symbols, notations, numbers, and visual representation in the form of diagrams in the problem representation phase.

Learning activities are conducted to help students achieve optimal academic achievement. This research aims to optimize student academic achievement through a learning process that integrates comprehensive formative assessments, including formative tests, self-assessment, peer assessment, and the initiator of creating summaries or concept maps that are given to students in a structured manner at the end of every lesson. The research method used was a quasi-experimental method with a 2x2 factorial design. Students enrolled in the biology education program of the basic physics course for the 1st semester of the 2019 academic year participated in this study. The participants were 66 undergraduate students divided into two classes. Thirty-four students in the experimental group were in class A, while 32 students in the control group were in class B. Data were collected using a learning outcome test instrument to measure academic achievement, which was tested at the end of the semester. Data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA. This study concluded that a learning process that includes comprehensive formative assessment significantly affects students' academic achievement. These findings support the theory that formative assessment provides feedback, correction, and improvement in student learning.

Several supporting factors are alleged to influence the performance of teachers. This study aimed to describe the relationship between each research variable and teachers’ performance, either directly or indirectly. This research was conducted through surveys and quantitative approaches that included correlational research types. The research subjects were Hindu religion teachers in 119 state junior high schools, consisting of 517 teachers. The sample of 256 people was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan formula and the Warwick and Lininger formula. The samples from each sub-population were determined with the proportional random sampling technique, and the personal sampling of sample members was determined with the use of lottery techniques. The data were collected using a five-point Likert scale model questionnaire with high validity and reliability. The data analysis technique used in this study was structural equation modelling. The conceptual model met the standards of comprehensive goodness-of-fit requirements. The results of the study show that the average levels of Hindu principals’ leadership, the emotional intelligence of teachers, supervision of school superintendents, school culture, teachers’ work motivation, and the performance of Hindu religion teachers are in the high category. In addition, the hypothesis testing results show there is a significant direct and indirect relationship between the variables in the state junior high school.

Metacognitive, critical thinking and opinion expression are in high demand. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the blended project- based literacy that integrates school literacy movement strengthening character education (literasi berbasis proyek terintegrasi GLS dan PPK: Li-Pro-GP) learning model on students' metacognitive skills, critical thinking, and opinion expression. A post-test experimental design was used to answer the research question. The study was conducted from August to October 2021 at Government Junior High School 23 Malang. Seventh-grade students were selected as research participants. The participants included 30 students from class VII-2. The research instrument was five essay questions to measure critical thinking skills. Material and assessment experts validated the essay questions developed by the researcher. The items that were declared valid were tested for validity. The result showed five valid items with high reliability of .670. Metacognitive skills were measured using the Metacognition Awareness Instrument (MAI), which consists of 40 items. The questions declared valid were tested for validity with a very high reliability of .953 for 37 items, and only three items were invalid. The ability to express an opinion was measured with an observation questionnaire validated by experts with a valid instrument score. Data analysis was performed by path analysis using the SmartPLS software. The results showed that the Li-Pro-GP blended learning model significantly strengthened students' metacognitive skills, critical thinking, and opinion formation.

Scientific literacy is a critical competency for people to take an essential role in science, technology, and social advancement. It is important to note that this competence is still a problem for most students worldwide. Therefore, this study analysed students' scientific literacy differences between a project-based learning flipped classroom (PjBL-FC) and a project-based learning (PjBL) class assisted by learning resources in wetlands environments. This quasi-experimental study used a non-equivalent control group design involving Class X Senior High School as the sample. The data were inferentially analysed by t-test. The results showed that the scientific literacy of students in the class that applied the PjBL-FC was better than those who applied only PjBL. Furthermore, all the indicators reach the high to very high category except the ability to propose a hypothesis, which is in the medium category. It was concluded that flipped classroom makes the PjBL take place more efficiently and effectively. Further studies can be carried out to determine how students use the learning materials, how teachers design the PjBL strategy in an online platform, their effect on scientific literacy, and how to combine PjBL with other approaches.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factor structure of a measurement and to evaluate its internal reliability. Overall, 525 math-majoring elementary school teachers volunteered to participate in this study by answering online survey questions via Google Form. These samples were randomly partitioned into 262 participants for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 263 observations for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA tended to largely prefer a four-factor solution, which was proven to explain over 68% of the variation in the data. Awareness, effectiveness, engagement, and opportunity were the provisional labels for these hidden variables. The CFA results verified and validated the four-factor model, with all test measures exceeding the specified thresholds, suggesting an acceptable and excellent fit. The results of this study, on the one hand, provide four key areas for realistic math teachers, educators, and policymakers to discuss as opposed to examining individual indicators, and on the other hand, they serve as a foundation for interested researchers to conduct additional analyses, such as multivariate linear regression or complement for cluster analysis.

Recent educational policy initiatives in Ireland have focused on improving outcomes in reading and mathematics among students, particularly those experiencing educational disadvantage. However, science achievement in Irish primary schools has received much less research attention, especially in the context of educational disadvantage. This article examines science achievement and its relationship to school compositional effects in primary schools at the national level, including school-average indicators of the school context, as well as examining factors associated with science achievement in three distinct categories of schools (those with high, moderate, or minor levels of educational disadvantage). The data are drawn from the Fourth grade Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015 database for Ireland. Multilevel analyses were implemented in a stepwise manner. Findings suggest the relevance of school contexts with regard to science achievement. Before including school-level contextual variables, students from ‘minor disadvantaged’ schools achieved significantly higher science scores than students from schools with ‘moderate’ or ‘high’ levels of disadvantaged. However, this difference disappears after controlling for predictors at the school level. The findings highlight the importance of the home environment, including early numeracy activities and skills before children start school. Results are discussed with regard to educational policy and educational practice in Ireland.

Collaborative learning has been identified as an essential aspect in the process of learning. As accelerated advancement continues to characterize the developments of technology, innovative mobile technology appears to be transforming the way collaborative learning is taking shape. This study focused on identifying whether mobile technology has a significant impact on collaborative learning in engineering studies in a private University in Malaysia. Using a quantitative approach, an online survey was administered for the data collection. Some 221 participants were selected randomly among undergraduate engineering students in the University. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS. The research findings revealed that mobile technology has a significant impact on collaborative learning. The findings also indicated that two of the mobile technology dimensions, namely mobility and immediacy have significant impact on collaborative learning. Consequently, this research suggests engineering educators can integrate mobile technology into their future instruction for more collaborative learning and create a smart workforce consisting of fast and adaptive engineers as well as other learners in Malaysia.

This study is qualitative with descriptive and aims to determine the process of generalizing the pattern image of high performance students based on the action, process, object, and schema (APOS) theory. The participants in this study were high performance eighth-grade Indonesian junior high school. Assignments and examinations to gauge mathematical aptitude and interviews were used to collect data for the study. The stages of qualitative analysis include data reduction, data presentation, and generating conclusions. This study showed that when given a sequence using a pattern drawing, the subjects used a number sequence pattern to calculate the value of the next term. Students in the action stage interiorize and coordinate by collecting prints from each sequence of numbers in the process stage. After that, they do a reversal so that at the object stage, students do encapsulation, then decapsulate by evaluating the patterns observed and validating the number series patterns they find. Students explain the generalization quality of number sequence patterns at the schema stage by connecting activities, processes, and objects from one concept to actions, processes, and things from other ideas. In addition, students carry out thematization at the schematic stage by connecting existing pattern drawing concepts with general sequences. From these results, it is recommended to improve the problem-solving skill in mathematical pattern problems based on problem-solving by high performance students', such as worksheets for students.

In today's World, data-driven methods are behind the determination of potential action plans in every area of life. These data-driven methods help individuals or policymakers to figure out the strengths and weaknesses on the subject that are worked on and to make a comparison to the best practices. Thus, actions can be taken immediately on the specific factors that have a huge impact on the topic investigated. In the educational area, countries are using the same approach to measure, monitor, and improve the quality of education by attending international studies. In this study, for both Turkish and Singaporean students, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is performed to predict the students' mathematics achievement and to identify factors that have a high impact on achievement using Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019 with the data of 3,586 Turkish and 4,750 Singaporean students. The reason behind comparing the results of Turkey to Singapore is that Singapore is the best-performing country in terms of mathematics achievement in the TIMSS in 2019. The model results show that the top two crucial factors in both countries are the frequency of absenteeism from school, and students’ confidence in mathematics with the accuracy of 75%. In addition, relevant policy implications are given based on the importance level of significant factors.

The actions, processes, objects, and schemas (APOS) theory is a constructivist learning theory created by Dubinsky based on Piaget's epistemology and used to teach math worldwide. Especially the application of APOS theory to the curriculum of a mathematics class helps students better understand the concepts being taught, which in turn contributes to the formation and development of mathematical competencies. With the aid of the APOS theory and the activity, classroom discussion, and exercise (ACE) learning cycle, this study sought to ascertain the effect of teaching derivatives in Vietnamese high schools. In this quasi-experimental study at a high school in Vietnam, there were 78 grade 11 students (40 in the experimental and 38 in the control classes). As opposed to the control class, which received traditional instruction, the experimental class's students were taught using the ACE learning cycle based on the APOS theory. The data was collected based on the pre-test, the post-test results and a survey of students' opinions. Also, the data that was gathered, both qualitatively and quantitatively, was examined using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) predictive analytics software. The results showed that students in the experimental class who participated in learning activities based on the APOS theory improved their academic performance and attitudes. Additionally, it promoted the students' abilities to find solutions to problems about derivatives.

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are important for improving student achievement and school development. According to PLC research, teachers' knowledge and practice in teaching are significantly improved by various PLC forms and favorable working environments. This qualitative research was conducted to find out what forms of PLCs were popular and what challenges were facing three primary schools in a province in Vietnam. The study utilizes a multiple-site case study design relating to PLCs in those schools with the data from interviews with the principals, group leaders and teachers, observations of PLC activities and related policy documents. The two forms of PLCs were identified in this research, including professional groups and groups of core teachers. Besides, four challenges facing PLCS implementation in those schools included the old habit of professional learning in PLCs, structural conditions of schedules and facilities, economic conditions of teachers and motivation for reforms. The study provides recommendations based on the findings for PLC research and practice within and beyond the Vietnamese context.

The Indonesian government has declared a strong commitment to information and communication technology (ICT) education reform but has made meager progress due to inconsistent education policies, fragmentary technological infrastructure, and ill-prepared teachers. Despite these obstacles, young people in Indonesia have embraced smartphones and related technologies as important means of maintaining their socially integrated lifestyles. This project sought to measure the adoption of smartphone technologies among pre-service teachers as part of their broader ICT consciousness and teaching. We examined the ICT competencies of 220 pre-service teachers at two state universities in western Indonesia. A questionnaire was distributed to the participants toward the end of the students' final practicum during the COVID-19 closure of the schools. Results showed very high use of smartphones in private contexts, infrequent use of laptops and desktop computers, a strong rejection of institutionally available (or often unavailable) devices and services, and a skewing of ICT skills toward tools available on smartphones, especially those accessible through social media platforms.