Three methodological approaches were applied to understand the role of interest and self-efficacy in reading and/or writing in students without and with persisting specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in literacy. For each approach students in grades 4 to 9 completed a survey in which they rated 10 reading items and 10 writing items on a Scale 1 to 5; all items were the same but domain varied. The first approach applied Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation to a sample that varied in specific kinds of literacy achievement. The second approach applied bidirectional multiple regressions in a sample of students with diagnosed SLDs-WL to (a) predict literacy achievement from ratings on interest and self-efficacy survey items; and (b) predict ratings on interest and self-efficacy survey items from literacy achievement. The third approach correlated ratings on the surveys with BOLD activation on an fMRI word reading/spelling task in a brain region associated with approach/avoidance and affect in a sample with diagnosed SLDs-WL. The first approach identified two components for the reading items (each correlated differently with reading skills) and two components for the writing items (each correlated differently with writing skills), but the components were not the same for both domains. Multiple regressions supported predicting interest and self-efficacy ratings from current reading achievement, rather than predicting reading achievement from interest and self-efficacy ratings, but also bidirectional relationships between interest or self-efficacy in writing and writing achievement.  The third approach found negative correlations with amygdala connectivity for 2 reading items, but 5 positive and 2 negative correlations with amygdala connectivity for writing items; negative correlations may reflect avoidance and positive correlations approach. Collectively results show the relevance and domain-specificity of interest and self-efficacy in reading and writing for students with persisting SLDs in literacy.

In this study, the relationship between high school students' test anxiety, academic procrastination behaviours, family attitudes and academic achievements were examined; the predicting of test anxiety, academic procrastination and family attitudes on the academic achievement was also investigated. The participants of the study were composed of 496 high school students. The end-of-term grade average of the students was defined as the criterion of their academic achievements. The students' test anxiety was measured by the Revised Test Anxiety Scale and the academic procrastination behaviours by the Academic Procrastination Scale. The family attitudes were measured by determining the frequency of the activities that support the academic achievement of the students. Data were analysed by correlation and regression methods. The findings indicate that there was a negative correlation between “achievement score” and “anxiety”, “test irrelevant thinking” and “academic procrastination” while there was a positive correlation between “achievement score” and “family attitude”. The findings also revealed that “tension”, “bodily symptoms” and “family attitude” significantly predicted the “end-of-term grade average” positively, while “worry”, “test irrelevant thinking” and “academic procrastination” significantly predicted the “achievement score” negatively. The findings were discussed in the light of literature along with the suggestions for further studies.

This research was conducted in order to determine whether math anxiety was effective in the selection of secondary school students. This research, in which the mixed method was adopted, was conducted in a secondary school at Siirt. The participants (157 pupils) were determined by convenient sampling method from the four different classes (two 5th grade and two 8th grade). Math anxiety levels of the students were determined by the Mathematics Anxiety Scale. Sociometry technique was used to determine the informal friends groups in each class. For this purpose, a friend preference form was used. Students' friends preferences were transformed into data matrix and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis was used to form informal friends groups for each class. Math anxiety scores of informal groups were compared with Kruskal Wallis test. Accordingly, there were significant differences between the mathematical scores of the informal groups in the branches of the 5th and 8th grades. This finding was evaluated that mathematics anxiety may be a factor in the selection of friends.  

The current study investigated the opinions of secondary school students taking the science course from different science teachers about the science course and science teachers. The current study was conducted with the participation of 32 students instructed by different science teachers and attending different secondary schools in the fall term of 2018-2019 academic year. The data of the current study were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. In the analysis of the data, the descriptive analysis technique was used. The findings of the current study have revealed that high majority of the students love their science classes and science teachers, that in science classes, lecturing, question-answer and note-taking are methods widely employed, that if there is a smart board in the class, then Okulistik or EBA computer program is on, that the assignments given are from the textbook, that the most frequently adopted behavior by the teachers in the face of any discipline problem is warning and that informal learning environments are not used much. Moreover, it was found that projects are rarely assigned to students and the projects assigned are given as homework. A great majority of the students expect their teachers to be entertaining, they want their lessons to be instructed through games and experiments, and they do not want to write a lot in their classes.

Contemporary educational reforms, both in the fields of science and mathematics, highlight the importance of pre-service teachers’ preparation with regard to several meaningful standards. However, teachers’ own self-confidence in science and mathematics teaching are likely to influence their efforts. Framed within a growing body of research focusing on pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs in science and mathematics teaching, the present study attempts to investigate Greek pre-service primary teachers’ efficacy beliefs in science and mathematics teaching; and further examine whether there is a relationship between the two. Participants comprised 171 pre-service primary teachers, who were in their second (n = 55), third (n = 64) or fourth year (n = 52) of study and the majority were female (n = 148). Pre-service teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - Form B (STEBI-B) and the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI). Principal component analyses and reliability analyses were performed for both instruments to examine their adaptation into Greek. According to the results, preservice teachers had medium to high scores in the personal efficacy and outcome expectancy scales, for both science and mathematics teaching. Minor differences in pre-service teachers’ scores were detected according to their year of study. Furthermore, pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs in science were strongly correlated with their efficacy beliefs in mathematics. In general, although pre-service teachers appeared to be confident and well-prepared to teach science and mathematics in classrooms, more effort is required to put the international education reform standards into practice.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Instructional Technologies and Material Design (ITMD) course on pre-service mathematics teachers’ attitudes, efficacy beliefs about using concrete materials, and their opinions regarding the material preparation process. A total of 73 pre-service teachers were participated in this study. The scale developed by Bakkaloglu was used to determine efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers about using concrete materials, and the attitudes scale developed by Cetin, Bagceci, Kinay and Simsek was used to determine the attitudes towards ITMD course. A written form was also used to reveal the opinions of pre-service teachers regarding the material preparation process. The qualitative data collected from 16 pre-service teachers was analyzed with the MAXQDA. Using content analysis, codes and themes were created separately by the researchers and analyzed through several iterations. As a result of this study, positive changes were found in the attitudes and efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers. The results obtained from the opinions of the pre-service teachers support this positive change. In other words, it is possible to argue that the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards the material development process changed positively with the positive change in the efficacy beliefs about preparing materials after taking the ITMD course.

Progress monitoring of academic achievement is an essential element to prevent learning disorders. A prominent approach is curriculum-based measurement (CBM). Various studies have documented positive effects of CBM on students’ achievement. Nevertheless, the use of CBM is associated with additional work for teachers. The use of tablets may be of help here. Yet, although many advantages of computer- or tablet-based assessments are being discussed in the literature (e. g. innovative item formats, adaptive testing, automated scoring and feedback), there are still concerns regarding the comparability of different assessment modes (paper-pencil vs. tablet). In the study presented, we analyze the CBM data of 98 fourth graders. They processed the exact same computation items once with paper and pen and once in a tablet application. The analyses point to comparable results in the test modes, although some significant deviations can be found at item level. In addition, the children report perceived benefits when working with the tablet.

The aim of this study is to identify whether high school students encounter any difficulties in mathematics and reveal the reasons for such difficulties. The participants of the study, which was a descriptive case study based on qualitative understanding, were a total of 164 students, including 85 students from Anatolian High Schools and 79 students from Science High Schools. Approximately 11% of the participants said they had no difficulties in math, whereas 99% of the students from Anatolian High Schools and 78% of the students from Science High Schools said they had difficulties in mathematic. Their thoughts about the reasons for such difficulties were analyzed by content analysis method considering the type of high school they attended. The findings obtained revealed that the difficulties encountered by the participants in mathematics were teacher-, content- and student-based. Anatolian High School students stated that they intensely faced teacher-based difficulties, whereas Science High School students stated that they faced content-based difficulties. It's expected that the results of this study may contribute to studies to be conducted to increase student success in mathematics education and provide ideas for further studies.

The aim of this study is to examine the motivation levels and future expectations of preservice teachers studying in Mathematics and Science Teaching Departments comparatively. The population of study consisted of preservice teachers studying at Mathematics and Science Teaching Departments at Education Faculties of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Akdeniz University. The sample consisted of 470 preservice teachers. In research, the correlational survey model was used. Research data were collected with "Adult Motivation Scale" and "Future Expectations Scale". In data analyzing, statistics package program was used. Accordingly, t-test was used for variables with two categories and One Factor Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for more than two categories. Sheffe multiple comparison test was used if it was significant. Pearson Correlation was used to determine whether there is a significant relationship between preservice teachers' motivation levels and future expectations. According to analysis results, motivation levels of preservice teachers were found to be high. Likewise, it was concluded that preservice teachers' expectations for future were highly positive. In preservice teachers' motivation levels and expectations for future, gender, major, type of high school they graduated and major satisfaction they study were found to be effective.

The self-report and think-aloud approaches are the two dominant methodologies to measure metacognition. This is problematic, since they generate respondent and confirmation biases, respectively. The Meta-Performance Test is an innovative battery, which evaluates metacognition based on the respondent's performance, mitigating the aforementioned biases. The Meta-Performance Test consists of two tests, the Meta-text, which evaluates metacognition in the domain of reading comprehension, and Meta-number, in the domain of arithmetic expressions solving. The main focus of this article is to present the development of the battery, in terms of its conceptual basis, development strategies and structure. Evidence of its content validity is also presented, through the evaluation of three experts in metacognition, two experts in Spanish language, two experts in mathematics and five students who represent the target population. The results of the judges' evaluations attested to the Meta-Performance Test content validity, and the target population declared that both the battery understanding and taking are adequate. Contributions and future research perspectives of the Meta-Performance Test in the field of metacognition are discussed.

In modern times, the importance of education cannot be overstated. Beyond the acquisition of knowledge, perhaps the most important aim of education may be the development of character in individuals, including vitality, courage, sensitiveness, and intelligence, from which our society may experience increased prosperity, peace, and freedom. In this paper we address the daunting challenge of achieving successful, widespread, and inclusive university education. How do we enliven and engage the students in our classrooms? How can we help each and every student in the class self-actualize and reach the highest potential for learning? Active learning is one well-established and potent solution for accelerating the accumulation of knowledge. In this paper, an experiment in active learning utilizing team-based adaptive online quizzes in an introductory math finance course involving 378 undergraduate students over two years is conducted to explore the potency of this active learning methodology compared to a control group with traditional teaching. We find active learning unambiguously improves knowledge accumulation in the individual students, while simultaneously bolstering inclusive excellence across all students in the class, as measured by a relevant and meaningful quantitative metric. The paper concludes with a discussion comparing the quality of active vs. traditional teaching methods and offers interpretations of the quantitative results. The results of this paper support the widely accepted theme in the literature that active learning has a positive effect on student performance in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) courses.

The article focused on the use of assessment for learning in promoting active learning and learner participation in mathematics. Assessment for learning (AfL) has been found to enhance learning and improve performance. However, teachers’ use of AfL to enhance active learning has not been clearly outlined. This study is part of the broader research study that explored mathematics teachers’ use of AfL to enhance mathematics teaching and learning in primary schools in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. A case study research-type and a qualitative approach were used to collect data from mathematics teachers. Nine teachers were purposefully selected from whom data were collected using semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation. The findings revealed that teachers had limited pedagogical knowledge in using AfL to promote active learning in their classrooms. They failed to apply a learner-centred approach that promotes effective learner participation in mathematics classrooms. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers undergo ongoing continuous development on classroom time management and planning for the effective use of AfL.

To improve college students’ achievement and success rate in the College Algebra course, a new program called Link2Success (L2S) was implemented in several sections of the course at the study’s university. The program required students to increase their class time to six hours. Three of those hours were spent with certified tutors who helped students with the content preview and homework preparation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Link2Success program based on the achievement of College Algebra students. One College Algebra class with embedded L2S and one College Algebra class without L2S were randomly chosen and the grades of several assignments and exams were compared. A survey was given to L2S students to explore their experience and opinion about the program. Another survey was given to non-L2S students to find out if they felt that learning with an L2S program was beneficial to them and would have improved their grades. The results showed that L2S did not have a positive effect on the College Algebra students’ achievement. However, L2S students felt more confident and rated the program highly where as non-L2S students felt they would have benefited from the program if it were implemented in their class.

This study reviews 60 papers using a Likert scale and published between 2012 – 2021. Screening for literature review uses the PRISMA method. The data analysis technique was carried out through data extraction, then synthesized in a structured manner using the narrative method. To achieve credible research results at the stage of the data collection and data analysis process, a group discussion forum (FGD) was conducted. The findings show that only 10% of studies use a measurement scale with an even answer choice category (4, 6, 8, or 10 choices). In general, (90%) of research uses a measurement instrument that involves a Likert scale with odd response choices (5, 7, 9, or 11) and the most popular researchers use a Likert scale with a total response of 5 points. The use of a rating scale with an odd number of responses of more than five points (especially on a seven-point scale) is the most effective in terms of reliability and validity coefficients, but if the researcher wants to direct respondents to one side, then a scale with an even number of responses (six points) is possible. more suitable. The presence of response bias and central tendency bias can affect the validity and reliability of the use of the Likert scale instrument.

This research analyzes the effects of restricting face-to-face classes during the lockdown and students' preparation for face-to-face instruction. During the academic year 2021-2022 break, it was conducted at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)-Gabaldon Campus's College of Education. This study employed a descriptive correlational and descriptive comparative research design. The 151 education students who participated in this study were chosen using a stratified sampling method. According to the study, students received satisfactory to very satisfactory grades during the lockdown. The study also showed that after the lockdown and after the Commission on Higher Education recommended face-to-face classes, the majority of respondents agree that they are academically, socio-emotionally, and physically prepared to go through a face-to-face mode of learning. The majority of them prefer face-to-face classes to any other form of distance learning. The general weighted average of a student is a predictor of academic readiness in face-to-face classes. In addition, students' general weighted averages have direct link to their socio-emotional readiness. Students' profiles, on the other hand, have no impact on their physical readiness. There is no significant difference in student preparation in face-to-face classes when students are grouped by gender, year and section, and civil status. There is no association between the student profile and their preferred mode of learning. The theoretical and practical ramifications of the research were also addressed.

The aim of the research was to develop a theoretical approach to describe the emotional and techno-ontological logic of mathematics teachers during distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of their emotional state on the learning process. The research approach used in this paper belongs to the qualitative paradigm. The study involved teachers and students from universities in Ecuador, both private and public. The study observed the behavior of teachers and students, analyzed the use of technology in mathematical activities, and analyzed personal opinions about the learning process of the participants of the study. A digital observation guide and open-ended interviews were used to collect data. The qualitative analysis program Atlas.Ti software was used to analyze the data. The program created three categories: andragogical heterotopia of mathematics, emotional scar in teacher preparation, and perceptions of the educational process. As the results of the research showed, there was a deficit of digital professional training of teachers in the university teaching of mathematics. As a result of the research work carried out, a theoretical approach is proposed, through which it is possible to avoid the manifestation of techno-ontological logical emotions in mathematics teachers in Ecuadorian universities.

This descriptive phenomenological study looks into the lived experiences of teacher education college students on what it is like to learn math online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, online math learning may pose even more significant challenges. Hence, the researchers conducted the study to better understand and support the students in these challenging times. They interviewed 16 college student participants, who consented to participate in the study, to share their actual experiences - the challenges, struggles, and opportunities – in learning math online during the pandemic. The interview transcripts were analyzed following Colaizzi's method. Results revealed the following themes: (a) The hurdles: poor internet connection, unconducive learning space, difficulty in understanding the topics, financial problems, and health problems; (b) The upper hands: ease of access to varied resources, staying at home, and flexibility of the teaching and learning process; (c) The key takeaways: improved time management, self-discipline, resourcefulness, and growth mindset. The researchers recommend that the management of educational institutions consider the students' demographic data, financial level, available resources, and mental and emotional health while designing and implementing online programs. Further, future research may be conducted on the teachers' concerns that may influence students' online learning experiences with Math and other disciplines.

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education remains incompletely understood, demanding further evaluation and the creation of robust assessment tools. Despite previous attempts to measure AI's impact in education, existing studies have limitations. This research aimed to develop and validate an assessment instrument for gauging AI effects in higher education. Employing various analytical methods, including Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Rasch Analysis, the initial 70-item instrument covered seven constructs. Administered to 635 students at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology – Gabaldon campus, content validity was assessed using the Lawshe method. After eliminating 19 items through EFA and CFA, Rasch analysis confirmed the construct validity and led to the removal of three more items. The final 48-item instrument, categorized into learning experiences, academic performance, career guidance, motivation, self-reliance, social interactions, and AI dependency, emerged as a valid and reliable tool for assessing AI's impact on higher education, especially among college students.