Equity in mathematics education has evolved beyond ensuring equal access to learning opportunities to encompass fairness in addressing students’ diverse educational, social, cultural, and linguistic needs. Within the context of elementary mathematics education in Saudi Arabia, this study investigated teachers’ self-reported instructional practices through a multidimensional lens of mathematical equity. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, with quantitative data collected through an online questionnaire from 131 elementary mathematics teachers and qualitative data obtained from semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively selected participants. The quantitative and qualitative datasets were analyzed independently and subsequently brought together at the interpretation stage. The findings indicated that teachers generally evaluated their equity-oriented practices positively. Cultural and linguistic equity received the highest mean score, whereas equity in access to instructional resources received the lowest, although all five dimensions were rated at a high level. The qualitative findings illustrated teachers’ reported use of diverse resources and instructional, participation, assessment, and language-support practices, while also showing areas that received less explicit attention, such as systematic monitoring of instructional bias and review of cultural or linguistic bias in educational resources. The findings contribute context-specific evidence on teachers’ self-evaluations of equity-oriented mathematics teaching and highlight the need for further research using classroom observations and students’ perspectives.
Mathematics learning for deaf learners, particularly in three-dimensional geometry, remains challenging because abstract concepts are commonly presented through two-dimensional instructional materials that do not adequately support visual learning. This study aimed to design, develop, and validate a semiotics-based Augmented Reality (AR) learning medium to support deaf learners' understanding of three-dimensional geometry. The study adopted the Lee and Owens instructional design model, comprising the phases of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Front-end analysis involved curriculum review, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and needs analysis with 29 deaf learners to establish the design specifications of the learning media. Data were collected using expert validation questionnaires, classroom observation sheets, teacher and student response questionnaires, and comprehension assessment sheets during a pilot implementation involving seven deaf junior high school students. The developed media achieved an overall expert validity score of 91.2% (Very Valid). Teacher and student responses indicated that the media was practical for classroom use. In contrast, students obtained an average comprehension score of 83.33% on the geometry comprehension assessment, indicating that the developed media effectively supported their understanding of three-dimensional geometry. These findings suggest that integrating semiotic principles with Augmented Reality provides meaningful visual representations that facilitate the learning of abstract geometry concepts for deaf learners. This study contributes to the development of inclusive mathematics learning media and provides a foundation for future large-scale implementation and evaluation.
The utilization of AI chatbots in mathematics education is on the rise, with these bots often serving as the primary providers of answers, potentially limiting learners’ engagement in reflective and metacognitive reasoning processes. The present study examines how AI chatbots can function as metacognitive partners within a culturally contextualized mathematics learning framework implemented through a learning management system (LMS). Using an embedded multiple-case study design, the data were collected from 33 preservice teachers enrolled in the Department of Mathematics Education during their seventh semester. The data were collected from several sources: chatbot interaction logs, participatory observations, metacognitive reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. Four participants were purposively selected for in-depth analysis. Thematic analysis revealed two distinct patterns in the interaction of pre-service mathematics teachers with the AI chatbot when completing assignments: an iterative interaction pattern and a linear interaction pattern. The iterative pattern involves repeated exploration, whereas the linear pattern follows a straightforward path with minimal verification. The two patterns yield different metacognitive outcomes, depending on the degree of regulation. When iterative interaction is well regulated, it fosters metacognitive success; however, when it becomes overly regulated, it leads to a metacognitive failure known as mirage, in which learners overanalyze and begin to question correct reasoning. Similarly, when linear interaction is well regulated, it also facilitates metacognitive success. Yet, when it becomes less regulated, it results in a metacognitive failure, blindness, due to the uncritical acceptance. The findings of the present study suggest that AI-supported learning functions as a process of co-regulation rather than passive information delivery, underscoring the importance of regulatory awareness in culturally mathematics learning.
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assesses adults’ literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving competencies in functional situations. However, PIAAC-oriented assessment resources that reflect Indonesian adult contexts remain limited. This study aimed to design and evaluate a contextualized PIAAC assessment environment for Indonesian adults. Educational Design Research was employed using Plomp’s preliminary research, prototyping, and assessment phases, integrated with formative evaluation through focus group discussions, one-to-one evaluations, small-group evaluations, and field testing. The study produced 93 contextualized items comprising 32 literacy, 31 numeracy, and 30 problem-solving items, which were incorporated into a computer-based testing system and disseminated through an item book and social media content. Iterative evaluation identified and addressed issues related to contextual relevance, competency alignment, instructional clarity, response-format flexibility, and technical functionality. A field test involving 30 teachers showed mean achievement percentages of 84.33% in literacy, 80.33% in problem solving, and 74.33% in numeracy. The findings indicate that international adult competency constructs can be operationalized within authentic Indonesian contexts and iteratively transformed into a practical, usable digital assessment environment. The study offers design-based guidance for developing culturally relevant adult competency assessments while maintaining alignment with the PIAAC framework.
Indonesian elementary school students’ mathematical critical thinking abilities (MCTA) remain suboptimal, highlighting the need for more effective instructional approaches. However, limited evidence has compared the effectiveness of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) and Direct Instruction (DI) while considering students’ mathematical resilience (MR). This study aimed to examine the effects of RME and DI on students’ MCTA while considering their MR levels. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was employed with 34 fifth-grade students from an elementary school in Padalarang Village, Indonesia. The intervention consisted of three 70-minute instructional sessions. Data were collected using an MCTA test and an MR questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Students in both groups showed significant improvements in MCTA. Although the RME group achieved slightly higher MCTA acquisition than the DI group, the difference was not statistically significant. However, RME produced significantly greater MCTA improvement than DI. Students with different MR levels showed significant differences in both MCTA acquisition and improvement, and MR had a significant positive effect on MCTA. No significant interaction effect was found between the learning approach (RME and DI) and MR. Overall, both RME and DI effectively improved students’ MCTA, with RME yielding greater improvement regardless of students’ MR levels.
