Middle School Mathematics Teachers Research Articles

The degree of implementing STEM practices among mathematics teachers at the middle school level from the teachers’ and educational supervisors’ perspectives

The current quantitative study aims to examine the degree of implementation of STEM practices among middle school mathematics teachers from the teachers’ and educational supervisors’ perspectives. The study also seeks to identify the statistical significance between the responses of teachers and supervisors regarding the degree of implementing STEM practices. STEM is an acronym for the integrative approach among science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The study used a questionnaire that was built based on a four-level Likert scale as a tool for collecting data using the descriptive survey method. Sixty-four middle school mathematics teachers and seven educational supervisors of mathematics participated in the study that took place in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. Findings revealed that the participating teachers implemented STEM practices moderately in their classrooms in the main three domains which are lesson evaluation, lesson implementation and lesson planning, respectively. In addition, there are statistically significant differences between the participating teachers and supervisors regarding the degree of implementing the STEM practices in favor of the teachers. The study recommends dedicating sufficient funds for STEM education, creating creative STEM websites and labs and obtaining access to STEM resources and materials. It is concluded that there is a great need for preparing mathematics teachers to apply STEM practices in their classrooms.

Data Processing and Scientific Articles Writing Training to Improve the Professionalism of Middle School Mathematics Teachers in the Northern Region of Solok Regency, West Sumatera

Writing scientific articles is crucial for a professional teacher. However, the reality shows that very few teachers are willing, able and accustomed to producing scientific articles. Based on the results of observations and discussions with teachers and heads of the Mathematics Teachers Association of Junior High Schools in the Northern Region of Solok Regency, it was found that teacher is facing two problems including motivation and techniques in scientific writing. Therefore, a solution to this problem is to hold data processing and scientific article writing training. The training was carried out in four stages, namely presentations and discussions, data collection, data processing with Microsoft Excel, and writing the results of data processing into a scientific article and learns how to publish it. The results of the teachers' personal self-evaluation showed that from this training there is an increase in their motivation and ability in processing data and writing scientific articles.

A study on the competence of middle school mathematics teachers in Hebei province under the background of craftsmanship spirit

Purpose: Excellent education is only possible with teachers who possess exceptional skills. This study is based on the competency characteristics of middle school mathematics teachers, constructs a teacher competency model that integrates the spirit of craftsmanship and identifies the professional qualities, motivations and attitudes that outstanding mathematics teachers possess.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: This study collected information and interview data from 12 experts through in-depth interviews and then encoded and summarized the themes through theme analysis to construct a competency system for high school mathematics teachers in Hebei Province. Thirty experts were given questionnaires to complete. The competency model was then validated and revised using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and the relative importance of each indication was examined using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). 
 Findings: The fuzzy Delphi questionnaire shows that the expert consensus meets the requirements of the verification value while the analytic hierarchy process questionnaire shows that the expert opinions have passed the consistency test.
 Conclusion: This study integrates the spirit of craftsmanship with the competency characteristics of middle school mathematics teachers and constructs a teacher competency model. The constructed model was subjected to fuzzy Delphi validation and analytic hierarchy process weight analysis by distributing questionnaires. The conclusion verifies the reliability and validity of the established model.
 Contribution to the Literature: This study introduces the spirit of craftsmanship into the teacher competency model enriching the connotation and extension of teacher competency research. Interpreting teacher competency with craftsmanship traits can make the competency characteristics of teachers more concrete.

Investigation of Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers Habits of Mind in Pattern Generalization Problems

In this study, it was aimed to determine pre-service middle school mathematics teachers’ habits of mind. The method of the study was determined as a case study. Participants are 23 junior pre-service middle school mathematics teachers. Data were collected with four open-ended linear and quadratic pattern problems. The clinical interviews were conducted with six of the pre-service teachers. In the analysis of the data, content analysis was carried out using habits of mind framework for pattern generalization. The results of the study show that similar habits of mind revealed by pre-service teachers in problem situations. The pre-service teachers had more difficulty in balancing exploration and reflection compared to the other. It was found that the pattern types of the problems affected the habits of mind. It is suggested that more studies need to be done to reveal and foster the quality of algebra and algebraic thinking.

On the Infiltration of Mathematical Culture in Middle School Mathematics Teaching

On the Infiltration of Mathematical Culture in Middle School Mathematics Teaching

Examining the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Integration in Chinese Middle School Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Examining the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Integration in Chinese Middle School Mathematics Teaching and Learning

数形结合思想在初中数学教学中的应用

数形结合思想在初中数学教学中的应用

Examination of Pre-Service Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Noticing Skills Regarding the Argumentation Process in their Lessons

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı ortaokul matematik öğretmeni adaylarının matematik derslerinde argümantasyon sürecini destekleyecek soru ve eylemleri nasıl fark ettiklerini incelemektir. Durum çalışması ile desenlenen bu araştırmanın katılımcıları, araştırmaya gönüllü olarak katılan dört ortaokul matematik öğretmeni adayıdır. Çalışmanın verilerini her bir öğretmen adayının gerçek sınıf ortamında gerçekleştirdiği derslerin video kayıtları ve öğretmen adayları ile derslerine ilişkin yapılan bireysel görüşmelerin video kayıtları oluşturmaktadır. Öğretmen adaylarının ders anlatımları argümantasyon sürecini destekleyici soru ve eylemler açısından, görüşmeler ise ders anlatımlarında argümantasyon sürecine ilişkin fark ettikleri durumlar açısından analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonuçları öğretmen adaylarının derslerinde oluşturabildikleri argümantasyon süreçleri kadar oluşturma olasılıkları olan argümantasyon süreçlerinin de farkında olduğunu göstermiştir. Fark etme bileşenleri bağlamında öğretmen adayları derslerinde en fazla dikkat etme bileşenine ilişkin görüş belirtmişlerdir. Ulaşılan sonuçlar ayrıca öğretmen adaylarının dikkat ettikleri durumlar kapsamlı olmasına rağmen bu durumları yeterince yorumlayamadıklarını ve karşılık veremediklerini göstermektedir.

Supporting teacher identity development of preservice middle school mathematics teachers in informal learning environments

ABSTRACT This study focused on the reflections of preservice middle school mathematics teachers who participated in informal learning environments (science and mathematics camps) as assistant teachers. It was aimed to explore whether participation in these informal settings contributed to their teacher identity development. The findings revealed that preservice teachers developed a better understanding of learner-centered teaching and learner characteristics and reflect better on their existing teacher identities based on their experiences in the science and mathematics camps. Furthermore, their reflections revealed that they became more confident about their teaching capabilities and motivated to begin teaching. Therefore, it is possible to claim that the experiences in the science and mathematics camps cognitively, affectively, and emotionally contributed to the participant preservice teachers’ teacher identity development.

Mathematical benefits of a language-friendly pedagogical tool: a praxeological analysis of teachers’ perceptions and practices

ABSTRACT In this paper, we report on data from 40 middle and secondary school mathematics teachers and teacher candidates as they begin to articulate the intersection of language-friendly pedagogy, mathematics teaching, and a multilingual technological tool by way of a two-hour introductory workshop. We use an Anthropological Theory of the Didactic which recognises that mathematics instruction and language instruction are done differently under distinct institutional conditions (curriculum, culture, language, etc.) to analyse our data. Our findings suggest that teachers’ beliefs and perspectives regarding their multilingual students guide their choices about how to use a powerful digital multilingual platform to either remediate what they perceive as deficits in their students or leverage the assets of multilingual learners.

Middle School Science and Mathematics Teachers' Views on Science-Mathematics Integration

This study was conducted to determine the opinions of middle school science and mathematics teachers about science-mathematics integration. A total of 38 teachers (19 science teachers, 19 math teachers) participated in this qualitative research. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. The data were evaluated with descriptive and content analysis in qualitative analysis. While all of the science teachers included in the study thought that integration was necessary, mathematics teachers expressed different opinions. While the teachers had different definitions of integration, it was determined that they generally exchanged ideas with the other branch teachers. It was determined that the most course needed integration for mathematics teachers was the Turkish and the mathematics for science teachers. According to teachers, the most important advantage of integration is that it increases student course success. As a result; although science and mathematics teachers have heard about the integration of science and mathematics, they do not have sufficient knowledge and application. For this reason, it is recommended that teachers of both branches should be informed about science-mathematics integration and integrate them into their lessons.

A Letter to My Teacher: Perceptions of Middle School Students and Pre-Service Mathematic Teachers of Their Mentor Teacher

This research was conducted to determine the perceptions of pre-service teachers and middle school students towards mathematics teachers. For this purpose, the perceptions of both the pre-service teachers and students regarding six mathematics teachers were discussed comparatively. The research method is case study. The data of this study were collected through reflective letters of pre-service teachers (f=35) and students of these teachers (f=105) to six middle school mathematics teachers. The collected data were analyzed in the MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that pre-service teachers and middle school students had positive and negative perceptions towards the mentor teacher in the categories of designing the learning-teaching process, attitude and classroom management. When the perceptions of middle school students towards their teachers were examined, it was seen that the positive attitude towards the teacher stanted out. While the students mentioned less about classroom management, it was seen that pre-service teachers talked more about and they were able to evaluate teachers from different perspectives in the context of classroom management. However, it has seen that both pre-service teachers and students have more negative perceptions about the design of the learning-teaching process than positive perceptions. In addition, it was determined that the negative perceptions of the preservice teachers about the mentor teachers standed out, while the students' perceptions of their teachers were more positive.

Meningkatkan Kompetensi Guru Dalam Membimbing Siswa SMP Menyelesaikan Soal OSN Matematika

The role of the teacher is not only teaching but also training other academic skills such as solving OSN questions. It would be a shame if the teacher could not guide students in solving OSN questions. According to DKI Jakarta Elementary and Elementary Education data, there has not yet been a Muhammadiyah school that has won OSN, both at the Kotip level, let alone at the provincial and national levels. This Community Service activity aims to increase the competence of Muhammadiyah Middle School Mathematics Teachers under the auspices of the Jakarta PWM Elementary Education Council to guide students in solving OSN questions. The training activities include: (1) the prites stage; (2) the difficulty analysis stage; (3) the stage of giving tricks; and (4) the percentage stage. This activity has been carried out and received good enthusiasm from partners. Partners in this case are Mathematics teachers at Muhammadiyah Middle Schools throughout DKI. It is proven that there was an increase in the teacher's ability to work on OSN questions that occurred in this training. This can be seen from the more participants who were able to do the Posttest questions correctly after being given training by UHAMKA Mathematics Education lecturers. The seriousness of the participants in this training was evident from the collection of video presentations that were sent by the participants as many as 5 videos a day.

Middle School Teachers' Views on Mathematical Creativity and Supporting Mathematical Creativity

The aim of this study is to examine middle school mathematics teachers' views on mathematical creativity. Phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. Ten middle school mathematics teachers, who are actively working, participated in the research. Purposive sampling method was used to determine the participants. In order to collect the data in the research, first of all, a teacher behavior scale that encourages creativity was applied to ninety-two middle school mathematics teachers. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten teachers with high scores. In these interviews, teachers were asked questions to support mathematical creativity. The obtained data were analyzed with descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it was seen that teachers emphasized the concept of creativity with originality, and they emphasized problem solving, originality and high-level thinking for the concept of mathematical creativity. These views are concepts that many researchers have mentioned in the literature. Therefore, many of the opinions of the mathematics teachers interviewed are valid expressions for mathematical creativity.

Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge on Misconceptions and Solution Suggestions: Ratio-Proportion Topic

The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge of secondary school mathematics teachers about their possible misconceptions about ratio-proportion and their solutions to these misconceptions. In the study, a special case study that is one of the qualitative research methods was conducted. Twelve middle school mathematics teachers were included in the study. Besides, data were collected using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. According to the findings obtained through the content analysis, misconceptions were evaluated in 8 categories and the solutions offered for misconceptions were evaluated in 3 categories. The findings indicate that teachers did not mention some of the misconception types mentioned in the literature on ratio and proportion. In addition, it was observed that approximately half of the participant teachers were aware of the misconceptions mentioned, while the other half expressed only a few types of misconceptions. The solution suggestions of the teachers were generally compatible with the methods stressed in the literature. However, it was determined that these solution suggestions were stated by a small number of teachers. From this point of view, it is thought that it is necessary for teachers to obtain information to increase their awareness of misconceptions that they may observe in students.

Teachers’ Views on Online Mathematics Teaching Barriers During The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Case of Turkey

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey's 19 million students and 1.2 million teachers rely entirely on online instruction. This study looks at the perspectives of math teachers on the teacher, school, curriculum, and student hurdles to E-learning deployment during the COVID-19 epidemic. It also evaluates the connection between the degree of barriers and teachers' backgrounds. Furthermore, it assesses the relationship between barrier levels with teachers’ demographic backgrounds. This study collected data through an online questionnaire, and random sampling was employed. The sample consisted of 364 participants (210 male and 154 female) who were middle school and elementary school mathematics teachers. According to the study's findings, the student-level barrier had the biggest influence on adopting e-learning. The school- and curriculum-level barriers are positively connected with the student-level barrier. The study found that barriers were unaffected by the backgrounds of teachers. This study highlights the significance of student voices in overcoming e-learning challenges and utilizing its advantages during this epidemic and beyond.

The Research on Middle School Mathematics Teaching Based on BOPPPS Model -- Taking the Teaching Design of "Determination of Congruent Triangles" as an Example

The Mathematics Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition) places higher demands on junior high school mathematics teaching, emphasizing students' active participation in classroom activities and the development of core literacies, mobilizing students' interest in learning as much as possible, fostering students' initiative and enthusiasm for learning, and making students the masters of the classroom, with the teacher merely a "guide" of knowledge, returning the classroom to the students. The BOPPPS model is a teaching model in which students participate in all aspects as well as play an important role in teaching objectives. Applying this model in middle school mathematics teaching can help teachers improve teaching efficiency and also increase the proportion of students' participation in the classroom. In this study, this model is applied to the design of middle school mathematics teaching, and the first lesson of "Determination of congruent triangles" is used as a case study for analysis. Through the introduction of real-life scenarios, specific and testable classroom objectives, review of old knowledge as a pre-assessment, active and participatory learning of students, post-test of the content in the classroom, and summary and self-evaluation of students, students can experience the process of knowledge occurrence and development, establish a systematic knowledge system of the content, develop students' core literacy, improve the teaching efficiency of the classroom, and provide a new direction for teachers to think about their teaching.

Developing a framework to support teachers’ implementation of mathematical modelling

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to develop a descriptive framework for teacher educators to assist teachers to plan and realize modelling implementations in their classrooms and for researchers to describe and analyse how modelling is implemented. The planning process and implementations of 12 middle and high school mathematics teachers who conducted modelling implementations were analysed by the researchers to achieve this aim. The data used in the study were lesson plans regarding each modelling implementation, the transcripts of the voice recordings of pre-implementation interviews with the teachers, transcriptions of the video recording of each implementation, and the observation notes of the researchers. The data were analysed within the framework of the grounded theory approach. All modelling implementations consisted of three main sections: planning, implementation, and assessment. The planning section includes identifying the goals, deciding the modelling task and making preparations. The implementation section consists of conducting warm up activities, sharing norms, sharing assessment criteria, presenting the modelling task and tracking students’ work. The assessment section involves presenting solutions, discussing solutions and necessary revisions, assessing competencies, and sharing assessment results and arriving at decisions.

Investigating Mathematical Modeling Problem Designing Process of Inservice Mathematics Teachers

In this study, the mathematical modeling process of in-service middle school mathematics teachers who participated in a mathematical modeling workshop within the scope of a professional development program were examined. This study is a multi-case study with the participation of six teachers (two women; four men) and investigates how teachers handled the theoretical knowledge gained during the mathematical modeling workshop in the problem designing process. The data consists of problems designed by teachers and individual interviews. The findings show that teachers were generally successful in transferring their theoretical knowledge to the problem designing process, but had some difficulties. Besides, it can be said that they overcame these difficulties in the process and obtained the problem designing competence that is suitable for the mathematical modeling criteria. The results show that implementation has an important role in the development of a modeling point of view just like theory and that the balance of theory and application should be established in modeling education.

Unpacking Response Process Issues Encountered When Developing a Mathematics Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) Assessment

ABSTRACT It is essential for items in assessments of mathematics’ teacher knowledge to evoke the desired response processes – to be interpreted and responded to by teachers as intended by item developers. In this study, we sought to unpack evidence that middle school mathematics teachers were not consistently interacting as intended with constructed response (i.e. open-ended) items designed to assess their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). We analyzed recent data derived from think-aloud interviews with 13 teachers involving 38 assessment items designed to tap PCK regarding proportional reasoning. Five key issues associated with undesired response processes were identified: (1) scenarios provided insufficient information, (2) content knowledge (CK) and PCK elements were confounded, (3) questions asked about the scenarios lacked specificity, (4) items contained distracting text and/or visual elements, and (5) differences between math education research and classroom teacher work cultures led to unanticipated interpretations of items. These issues were associated with teacher responses that were problematic (e.g. vague, off topic, etc.). In addition, we suggest that obtaining response process evidence is critical, and the way it is obtained may impact the average difficulty of the final pool of assessment items developed.