In this paper, we offer a comparative review of research on understanding and promoting students' mathematical thinking. The sources for the review are papers that were published in "Educational Studies in Mathematics" ("ESM") during two windows of time: 1994-1998 and 2014-2018. Selection of these two time periods enables us to…

Reports on a 3-year study of patterns of student-student social interaction that mediated metacognitive activity in senior secondary school mathematics classrooms. Unsuccessful problem solving was characterized by students' poor metacognitive decisions exacerbated by lack of critical engagement with each other's thinking while successful outcomes…

Proportional reasoning, the ability to use ratios in situations involving comparison of quantities, is essential for mathematical competence, especially in the middle school years, and is an important determinant of success beyond school. Research shows students find proportional reasoning and its foundational concepts difficult. Proportional…

Describes a study of 2 secondary students working problems over a 10-week period. Information on metacognitive awareness, confidence, and ability were collected through two videotaped sessions and questionnaires. Results suggest impulsiveness and perceived order of merit inhibit effective problem solving. (MTE)