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.

Visual representations and the process of visualisation have an important role in geometry learning. The optimal use of visual representations in complex multimedia environments has been an important research topic since the end of the last century. For the purpose of the study presented in this paper, we designed a model of learning geometry with the use of digital learning resources like dynamic geometry programmes and applets, which foster visualisation. Students explore geometric concepts through the manipulation of interactive virtual representations. This study aims to explore whether learning of geometry with digital resources is reflected in higher student achievements in solving geometric problems. This study also aims to explore the role of graphical representations (GRs) in solving geometric problems. The results of the survey show a positive impact of the model of teaching on student achievement. In the post-test, students in the experimental group (EG) performed significantly better than students in the control group (CG) in the overall number of points, in solving tasks without GR, in calculating the area and the perimeter of triangles and quadrilaterals than the CG students, in all cases with small size effect. The authors therefore argue for the use of digital technologies and resources in geometry learning, because interactive manipulatives support the transition between representations at the concrete, pictorial and symbolic (abstract) levels and are therefore important for understanding mathematical concepts, as well as for exploring relationships, making precise graphical representations (GRs), formulating and proving assumptions, and applying different problem-solving strategies.

This study investigates the inspiring leadership values in building an excellent inclusive higher education, including proactiveness, high-spiritedness, visionary, and humanist mindset. This was a case study where data were collected through in-depth interviews, direct observation, document analysis, and audiovisual material observation. The analysis was carried out by making data transcription, notes, video recordings, and documents; generating ideas, codifying data, designing themes, and interpreting data. Results show that inspiring leadership with a proactive mindset in policymaking can create original ideas, realize them actively and innovatively as well as solve problems creatively. High motivation leadership is seen through its activeness in asking the academic community to work together in building an inclusive higher education such as by attending activities related to special needs students. Visionary leadership is seen from its ability to build clear and measurable vision, mission, and organizational goals. In addition, it is also capable to see opportunities related to inclusive higher education's future development by generating appropriate policies and finding job opportunities for special needs students. Humanist leadership is an ability to manage challenges, conflicts, and resistance often arising during the process to build an inclusive higher education. Regarding the results, this study implies that inspiring leadership serves as one of the key factors to build an excellent inclusive higher education. However, due to limitations of this study, it is required further studies.

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.

Geometric thinking affects success in learning geometry. Geometry is studied from elementary school to university level. Therefore, in higher education and basic education, it is necessary to carry out a systematic review in order to obtain tips for improving geometric thinking skills. A systematic review of geometric thinking was done in this study. In this study from 2017 to 2021, geometric thinking was investigated in the form of a synthesis review of the effect size of the given treatment. This is a comprehensive discussion of theories, models, and frameworks on the topic of geometric thinking from 36 articles. The research findings revealed that the interventions used were predominantly effective, with effect sizes ranging from "small" to "very large," with the "very large" effect obtained in the intervention of van Hiele's learning phase and various technology-based-media and concrete manipulative media. The research trend was reflected through twelve clusters of interrelated keywords. The results of this literature review suggested that it is necessary to carry out a specific study on how to achieve the highest level of geometric thinking, a more detailed form of scaffolding, and concrete manipulative media and technology that can be explored for a certain level of the participants’ geometric thinking.

This review explores research into the effects of collaborative learning interventions on critical thinking, creative thinking, and metacognitive skill ability on biological learning. The search was conducted from 2000 to 2021. We found 36 critical thinking studies, 18 creative thinking studies, and 14 metacognitive skill studies that met the criteria. The results showed that collaborative learning influences large categories (ES=4.23) on critical thinking, influences large categories (ES= 7.84) on creative thinking, and influences large categories (ES= 8.70) on metacognitive skill. The study's findings show that collaborative learning interventions have the highest impact on metacognitive abilities. Based on these findings, we provide insights for education research and practitioners on collaborative learning interventions that seem to benefit the empowerment of high levels of thinking at various levels of education to be combined with various other interventions in the future. The type of intervention, level of education, materials used, and study quality criteria were included in the study.

Mathematics anxiety in initial teacher education is a growing issue that reflects on teacher quality and their student’s maths anxiety and abilities. Previous studies have presented a range of different perspectives to mathematics anxiety. We aimed to explore further the reasons of mathematics anxiety in preservice teachers and suggest some intervention strategies in reducing maths anxiety for initial teacher education systems. We used a mixed methodology in this research analysing both qualitative data along with some quantified data derived from qualitative data sources. The findings provide insights to causes of maths and test anxiety along with some intervention strategies that teacher educators can use in their future teaching.

This investigation examined English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ perceptions of their self-efficacy in using instructional strategies in the context of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The research was designed as a descriptive research collecting quantitative and qualitative data from a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Forty-six Vietnamese EFL teachers were invited to partake in the study. The results indicated that participants were in general confident in using instructional strategies in their English classes. Specifically, the participants were highly confident in their abilities to use multimedia (M=4.41), assessment techniques (M=4.35), and classroom English (M=4.35). The study also indicated that participants were not confident in evaluating the level of task difficulty (M=3.37), dealing with unmotivated students (M=3.57), and meeting students’ particular needs for support (M=3.62). Pedagogical implications and recommendations were addressed to help manifold stakeholders at the end of this paper.

Autistic individuals are commonly characterized by stereotypical behaviors, which affect their daily life, particularly social aspects. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of dance movement-based intervention in reducing stereotypical behavior among autistic children. The study used an experimental-based approach, which recruited 30 autistic children purposively between 9 and 15 years old, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder- level 1 (ASD [1]) or autism spectrum disorder- level 2 (ASD [2]) from one autism center in Jordan. The intervention sessions were fifteen sessions and lasted 60 minutes. The dance movement and music were selected cautiously by professional therapists. The observation was the study tool for collecting data performed by both author and care providers. The results approved the effectiveness of the suggested intervention in reducing stereotypical behavior. The children presenting ASD (1) showed significantly less stereotypical behavior than those presenting ASD (2). The result also showed that the difference was significant and obvious from the first three sessions, but the best reduction was in the fourth session. However, the results refuted any difference in reduction of stereotypical behavior attributed to gender or age group of participants.

This article addresses the impact of accelerated technological development on the world of work, the main characteristics of the new expected generation of workers (Generation Z), and the unique demands placed on educational systems. The educational systems must adapt to society's expectations in the 21st century to remain relevant in a world with uncertainty regarding the labor market. Throughout the article, we present findings from the research literature on the new requirements of learners in the 21st century, highlight the main characteristics of the new generation of workers (Generation Z), and outline the importance of the education system in training and acquiring necessary skills. These requirements include skills for integrating learners into society and employment due to the new demands of the labor market.

High school teachers are mentors and facilitators that must be concerned about their students' formal thinking abilities. Students may not take a conservation task seriously because they perform operations without consulting. This necessitates modifying the learning process to increase student motivation. Therefore, this study aimed to examine students' mathematical spatial literacy through project-based blended learning with the cognitive conflict strategy. The study sample comprised 129 students, including 66 and 63 in the experimental and control classes, respectively, divided into the low, medium, and high levels. The findings showed that the experimental class students using project-based blended learning with the cognitive conflict strategy had higher mathematical spatial literacy than those in the control class using problem-based learning. Project-based blended learning with the cognitive conflict strategy and problem-based learning students at the high and moderate levels differed in their ability to increase their mathematical spatial literacy. However, low-level students are comparable in their ability to increase their mathematical spatial literacy.

Translanguaging enables students to communicate in multiple languages in an English-dominant classroom. It has received considerable attention from scholars in content and language integrated learning (CLIL). Its implementation in primary schools in European countries has been adopted in Asian countries, including Indonesia. This study employed a narrative inquiry investigating a teacher who taught first graders both content matter and English during the COVID-19 forced-remote learning. Furthermore, data were gathered using semi-structured interviews to guide the participant in narrating CLIL science teaching experiences. Virtual observations were carried out eight times to obtain evidence of translanguaging practiced. Due to forced-remote learning, the results indicated that the teacher had to find the most convenient ways to instruct the young students without adding to their burden. Furthermore, it was reported that scaffolding by translanguaging was planned systematically by valuing the students’ L1 and alternating it with English as the target language. The findings also discussed the practical implications of this study to maintain young learners' (YLs) engagement through translanguaging strategies.

The main objective of this research was to study the effects of instructional management models and nominal variables on the development of students’ creative thinking. The researchers used the research synthesis of 400 studies on the development of students' creative thinking by a meta-analysis of research according to Cohen. The meta-analysis results revealed that the average effect size of the instructional management model (d = 3.43; [3.10, 3.17]) was positive and had a very high effect size with statistical significance. The most significant influence on the creative thinking development model was creative development theory (d = 4.217; [3.32, 5.11]). In addition, effect sizes varied with the attribute variables of the research, particularly the attribute variable of the research on instruction with the highest effect consisted of research with the focus on language, at the primary level, applied Torrance's creativity theory, designed between one to six lesson plans. Moreover, there was less than one hour per plan, the instructional period including the experiment conducted more than 31 hours and there were four weeks of instruction. In addition, there were six steps for instruction, there had quiz as an assessment tool, number of exams varied between 30 and 39 questions, and knowledge sheets were used as instructional materials. In the context of the meta-analysis, the findings indicated that the teachers should apply creative development theory in developing the students’ creative thinking for more effective instructional management.

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.

COVID-19 and the expansion of distance learning pose new challenges to the educational system. Soft skills are imperative in this context, for children's effective and adaptive learning. The following study aims to discover teachers' representations by identifying their common conceptual framework of soft skills in primary school. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers. The teachers' comments helped identify and define a framework of soft skills that would help children learn effectively. The results illustrate that the lack of practice of soft skills activities depends on the teachers' perceptions of the importance of their role in transmitting disciplinary knowledge. The study concluded that the lack of a clear and shared vision of soft skills influences the representations and practice of teachers.

The research emphasized three main objectives: 1) to analyze the propensity score of the research effect size for developing students’ creative thinking, 2) to study the attribute variables effect of the research on the effect size of creative thinking before and after the propensity score adjustments, and 3) to compare the effect size between instructional methods to develop creative thinking before and after the propensity score adjustments. The data were obtained from 400 research studies on creative thinking development in Thailand. The research instrument for data collection included the research attribute record form. They were analyzed by calculating effect size, propensity score matching analysis, and fixed effect and random effect meta-regression analysis. The results indicated two research groups with propensity scores that develop students' creative thinking: the low effect size group of 256 research ( =1.345) and the high effect size group of 144 research ( =7.284) using 26 attribute variables of creative thinking development research. Moreover, the instructional methods with the creative activities had the highest effect size ( =3.88). After the analysis of propensity score matching, the effect of 12 research attribute variables was eliminated as follows: manufacturing research institutions, year of publication, educational institutions, curriculum, creative thinking indicators, instructional materials, types of research, research objectives, research groups, research protocols, statistics used in research, quality of research and it was found that integrated instructional model of knowledge using media and technology had the highest effect size ( =0.41).

Teacher agency is a set of actions that a teacher takes beyond what is generally expected of them. The concept merits examination, as agency can bolster teachers’ ability to set and achieve professional development goals. To better understand how to study, and use, this relatively new concept in the academic literature, a systematic review of 164 publications written by researchers from 41 countries was conducted in order to document the research approaches used to study teacher agency, the participants whose agency was documented in a school setting, the methodology used and the type of analysis performed. The study found that teacher agency has been documented qualitatively in the form of case studies comprising interviews of a small number of individuals, with no consensus in terms of interview protocol. In most cases, the results are analyzed using emergent coding. The way that agency is documented varies but is most often underpinned by an ecological approach.

Learning literature is considered challenging for university students, especially in Indonesia, as they must perform assigned tasks and communicate with one another, in addition to receiving and transmitting comprehensible literature content knowledge from and to their lecturers. In many cases, students do not get sufficient feedback on what they are doing. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of feedback strategies by lecturers in English literature lectures in a higher learning institution in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, this study involved three lecturers of the English literature department. Meanwhile, data were collected through 300 minutes of video recordings of drama, literary criticism, and prose lectures. The results revealed that the lecturers generated both negative and positive feedback strategies during the lectures. In terms of negative feedback strategies, they criticized students’ responses. By contrast, in terms of positive feedback strategies, they accepted, appreciated, and praised as well as repeated and answered students’ responses. The results also indicated that the feedback strategies became effective tools to improve students’ language competence, literary knowledge, and participation. This study suggested that lecturers use more positive feedback followed by additional comments during lectures as these could foster students’ engagement and keep learning longer.

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.

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.