Reports on a study into first grade student's interpretations of the equals sign in different contexts. Argues that varying situations affect students' understanding of such arithmetic concepts, including the social interaction patterns in the classroom during arithmetic instruction. (TW)

Discussed are the roles played by anticipation, belief, and motivation in two young children's problem-solving activity. It is argued that a solver's beliefs and motivations are intimately related, and that the discussion of the two children's behaviors may have some generality. (Author/MNS)

The relationship between arithmetical concepts and solution methods is discussed. A case study illustrates the contention that some children with relatively sophisticated concepts express those concepts with primitive methods. (MNS)

Describes a method whereby data are first analyzed episode-by-episode in comparison to each other. Conjectures thus generated are then meta-analyzed to create chronologies structured by general assertions grounded in students' mathematical activity. Clarifies the relation between psychological and social processes. (TO)

Compares mathematics achievement of children in Taiwan and the United States by analyzing the arithmetical learning contexts of each. Interviews with parents and teachers identify cultural beliefs about learning arithmetic; interviews with students identify level of sophistication of arithmetical concepts. Found greater understanding by Chinese…

An analysis of a 10-minute episode in which 7-year-old students (n=3) engage in collaborative small group activity is presented to explore the relationship between individual learning and group development. Students learned as they interactively constituted situations for justification or validation, yielding an institutionalized solution method.…

Compared project (n=79) and nonproject (n=111) third-grade students on their conceptual development in arithmetic, their personal goals in mathematics, and their beliefs about reasons for success in mathematics. Project students attained more advanced levels of conceptual understanding and held stronger beliefs about the importance of working…

Describes the role of an instructional sequence and two accompanying computer-based tools in supporting students' developing understandings of statistical data analysis. Documents the emergence of the sociomathematical norm of what counts as a mathematical argument in the context of data analysis. (Author/MM)