To fully possess mathematical competence and to understand its relevance, importance and aesthetics, it is essential to be aware of aspects of mathematics not only as a school subject but also as a scientific discipline. In a systematic literature review, the theoretical characterization of compulsory school students' beliefs about mathematics as…

All human decision-making is based on different expectations and assumptions about the future. Futures literacy, consisting of knowledge, emotions, and skills, is an essential competency for the 21st century. Educational steering documents, as the Finnish national curriculum, state that the teachers shall scaffold the students in problem solving,…

In this study, the aim is to present a STEAM-based music activity for gifted students and to determine the students' awareness of the process at the end of the activity. The study group of the research consists of exceptionally gifted students who applied to STEAM Based Music Activities Workshop in the Halil Inalcik Science and Art Center.…

A national-level dataset (n = 7770) at grade 1 of primary school is re-analyzed to study preconditions in proficiency in mathematical concepts, operations and mathematical abstractions and thinking. The focus is on those pupils whose preconditions are so low that they are below the first measurable level of proficiency in the common framework with…

Developing students' skills in solving mathematical problems and supporting creative mathematical thinking have been important topics of Finnish National Core Curricula 2004 and 2014. To foster these skills, students should be provided with rich, meaningful problem-solving tasks already in primary school. Teachers have a crucial role in equipping…

Algebraic thinking is an important part of mathematical thinking, and researchers agree that it is beneficial to develop algebraic thinking from an early age. However, there are few examples of what can be taken as indicators of young students' algebraic thinking. The results contribute to filling that gap by analyzing and exemplifying young…

The overarching aim of this article is to exemplify and analyse how some algebraic aspects of equations can be theoretically explored and reflected upon by young students in collaboration with their teacher. The article is based upon an empirical example from a case study in a grade 1 in a primary school. The chosen lesson is framed by the…

Reform movements in mathematics education advocate that mathematical argumentation play a central role in all classrooms. However, research shows that mathematics teachers at all grade level find it challenging to support argumentation in mathematics classrooms. This study examines the role of teachers' mathematical knowledge in teachers' support…

Education in the early years is an excellent space for promoting integrated learning. The STEAM education model combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics holistically and has gained force globally, mostly in developed countries. However, in developing countries of Latin America, STEAM education programs are incipient and…

In rapidly developing countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where this study took place, having a body of competent, dedicated key workers in STEM fields is critical to growing national economies. This, in turn, requires motivated, well-qualified graduates of STEM degrees. School students' perceptions of science, scientists and science…

Over the last twenty years, visual methods in childhood research have become more mainstream across social science research. Through this paradigm shift, children became active agents in the research process. Participant-produced drawings in particular allow a constructive process of thinking in action, rather than seeing drawings as simple…

Research on psychosocial classroom learning environments has a strong tradition due to the early discovery of a relationship between positive classroom climate and academic performance and motivation, engagement, participation, and attitude towards school and teaching. Yet, more research is needed in this area due to the rich concept of classroom…

This article focuses on how Swedish Year One students (age 7-8) make meaning when working with images in mathematics textbooks. Images include textbook images, but also students' self-drawn images used as support for calculation. The focus was (1) what the images in the exercises were designed to offer (the designed affordance), and (2) what the…

In this paper, we study year 2 and year 5 students' expressed motivations for doing mathematics. The responses were analysed using thematic analysis; first with a deductive approach using themes from previous research, and then an additional inductive analysis searching for new themes. The results show that the children express both intrinsic…

In a design-research project on problem-solving, theory-based and practice-oriented materials were developed with the goal of fostering systematical development of students' problem-solving competence in a targeted manner by learning heuristics. Special attention was given to working backward strategy, which has been shown difficult for students…