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Proportional reasoning is the cornerstone of many higher-level mathematics topics. We evaluated the sustainability effects of schema-based instruction (SBI) on proportional reasoning and the impact of professional development (PD) on the instructional practices of two cohorts of seventh-grade teachers (i.e., SBI-experienced-teacher implementers, who taught SBI in a previous study; SBI-novice-teacher implementers, who taught SBI for the first time with PD) and mathematics outcomes of students with mathematics learning difficulties. SBI was implemented for 6 weeks by 49 teachers in two distal states. Despite the cessation of PD provided to SBI experienced-teacher implementers, teachers in both cohorts demonstrated similar levels of fidelity. Results indicated no SBI experience effect on the immediate and 11-week retention tests of proportional problem solving, on a general measure of problem solving, and on an end-of-year mathematics achievement test, suggesting that the effectiveness of SBI generalizes over time to different cohorts of teachers and students.

The present study used a regression discontinuity approach to test whether schema-based instruction (SBI) was effective for students identified with varying levels of mathematics difficulties (MD) who received Tier-1 instruction. The performance of these students was compared to similar students who received business-as-usual Tier-1 instruction. Results indicated SBI on average raised scores regardless of whether a student was categorized as having MD on outcome measures of mathematics problem solving, suggesting that SBI is effective for a wide range of proportional reasoning skills and general mathematical proficiency, which broadens the population of students who could benefit from SBI. Standardized slopes for the treatment effect also provide evidence of the effectiveness of SBI. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

This study used integrative data analysis (Curran & Hussong, 2009), which allows combining data from different studies, to examine the generalizability of a research-based mathematics program, schema-based instruction (SBI), with a focus on proportional reasoning. Data were pooled from existing SBI studies spanning three U.S. states in which teachers and their classrooms were randomly assigned to either a SBI or control condition. Results of a series of multilevel (i.e., two-level, students within teachers) models indicated the effectiveness of SBI in improving students' mathematical problem-solving performance. The pooled data findings clarify that SBI improves students' mathematical problem solving more so for proximal than distal measures. These findings also show Black and Hispanic students continue to lag behind White students, that teachers with more experience tend to be associated with higher performing classrooms, and that increasing concentrations of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch and students receiving special education services are generally associated with weaker performances. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Research on arithmetic competence has emphasized the importance of arithmetic fluency – the use ofefficient direct strategies when solving simple, conventional problems. Comparatively little attention hasbeen focused on arithmetic sense, which we define as the adaptive use of direct and indirect strategieswhen solving complex, novel problems. The current study evaluates the new construct of arithmeticsense and investigates its predictive relationship to mathematical achievement. 302 students in 6 th gradecompleted a battery of tests of their cognitive and numerical abilities, arithmetic fluency, arithmeticsense, mathematics achievement, and pre-algebra skills. The central finding is that arithmetic sense isthe best single predictor of mathematical achievement. In particular, it is better than arithmetic fluency.These findings open a new pathway for improving school-aged students’ algebraic thinking andmathematical achievement.

The purpose of this replication study was to provide replication evidence not currently available of the effects of a research-based mathematics program, schema-based instruction, on the mathematical problem-solving performance of 7th-grade students. The replication was implemented in 36 schools in 5 districts; 59 mathematics teachers and their students (N = 1,492) participated in the study. Multilevel hierarchical linear analyses revealed statistically significant differences between conditions on proximal and distal measures of mathematics problem solving, with effects sizes similar to those reported in Jitendra et al. (2015).

The present study summarized three studies of schema-based instruction (SBI), a research-based Tier 1 mathematics program implemented in general education classrooms. We evaluated the efficacy of SBI in improving the mathematics achievement of seventh-grade students, including students with or at risk for mathematics disabilities (MD). The three SBI studies included an overall sample of 3,846 students, some of whom were categorized as having MD and 161 teachers in 104 schools from three states, with treatment length of about 6 weeks. Teachers and their classrooms in each study were randomly assigned to either the SBI or control condition. For the overall sample, results showed that SBI students scored significantly higher and showed more linear growth over time than control students on proportional problem solving. Similar results favoring the SBI condition were also found for students with or at risk for MD. These findings suggest that SBI focused on proportional reasoning instruction is a feasible Tier 1 mathematics program for all students. We discuss implications of the SBI program for meeting the diverse needs of students in the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework and suggest future directions.

"Flow" is the state of full attention to the task at hand. It is typically studied in daily life, as people engage deeply in activities such as art, sports, and leisure, and typically its affective characteristics are emphasized. This research investigates flow in the laboratory, focusing on its cognitive characteristics. Participants completed different versions of the Trail Making test, a measure of executive function, that made parametrically increasing demands on attention. As predicted, more participants were in the flow state when attentional demands were moderate than when they were low or high. This was revealed by conventional survey measures indicating a balance between the perceived challenge of the task and the perceived skill of participants. Critically, this was also evidenced by a new operational measure of time distortion, defined as the difference between people's subjective estimates of their task completion times and the objective, experimenter-recorded times. Participants experienced "downward time distortion"--the feeling of time flying--when attentional demands were moderate. These findings demonstrate for the first time the causal role of attentional demands in inducing the flow state. They set the stage for future studies of flow and time distortion using attention-demanding cognitive tasks, and of the association between time perception and creative thinking.

This meta-analysis is the first to provide a quantitative synthesis of empirical evaluations of mathematical intervention programs implemented in secondary schools for students with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. Included studies used a treatment-control group design. A total of 19 experimental and quasi-experimental studies containing 20 independent samples met study inclusion criteria. Results of a random effects model analysis indicated that mathematical interventions influence mathematics outcomes (g = 0.37, 95% confidence interval [0.18, 0.56]) for students with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. In addition, instructional time moderated the relation between mathematics interventions and student learning. Limitations of the study, future directions for research, and implications for practice are discussed.

Background: The "seductive allure of neuroscience explanations" (SANE) is the finding that people overweight psychological arguments when framed in terms of neuroscience findings. Aim: This study extended this finding to arguments concerning the application of psychological findings to educational topics. Sample Participants (n = 320) were recruited from the general public, specifically among English-speaking Amazon Mechanical Turk workers residing in the United States. Methods: We developed eight articles that orthogonally varied two processes (learning vs. development) with two disciplines (cognitive vs. affective psychology). We increased "neuroscience framing" across four levels: psychological finding alone, with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal), with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal) and graph, and with an extraneous neuroscience finding (verbal) and brain image. Participants were randomly assigned to one level of neuroscience framing and rated the credibility of each article's argument. Results: Seductive allure of neuroscience explanations effects were not ubiquitous. Extraneous verbal neuroscience framings, either alone or accompanied by graphs, did not influence the credibility of the application of psychological findings to educational topics. However, there was a SANE effect when educational articles were accompanied by both extraneous verbal neuroscience findings and brain images. This effect persisted even after controlling for individual differences in familiarity with education, attitude towards psychology, and knowledge of neuroscience. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a SANE effect for articles about educational topics among the general public when they are accompanied by both extraneous verbal neuroscience findings and brain images.

Aureochromes (AUREOs) are unique blue light receptors and transcription factors found only in stramenopile algae. While each of the four AUREOs identified in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum may have a specific function, PtAUREO1a has been shown to have a strong impact on overall gene regulation, when light changes from red to blue light conditions. Despite its significance, the molecular mechanism of PtAUREO1a is largely unexplored. To comprehend the overall process of gene regulation by PtAUREO1a, we conducted a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments, including pull-down assays, yeast one-hybrid experiments, and phenotypical characterization using recombinant PtAUREOs and diatom mutant lines expressing a modified PtAureo1a gene. We describe the distinct light absorption properties of four PtAUREOs and the formation of all combinations of their potential dimers. We demonstrate the capability of PtAUREO1a and 1b to activate the genes, diatom-specific cyclin 2 , PtAureo1a , and PtAureo1c under both light and dark conditions. Using mutant lines expressing a modified PtAUREO1a protein with a considerably reduced light absorption, we found novel evidence that PtAUREO1a regulates the expression of PtLHCF15, which is essential for red light acclimation. Based on current knowledge, we present a working model of PtAUREO1a gene regulation properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A language compatibility effect occurs when there is a match between what a language provides and what a mathematical task demands. Here, we investigated whether such an effect exists for fraction processing in English, which names the numerator first, versus Korean, which names the denominator first. We developed two new tasks: a fraction span task where participants view and then recall four fractions and a fraction identification task where they view one fraction and then another and judge whether the two fractions are the same or not. We generally found that English speakers were advantaged when the numerator drove task performance and Korean speakers were advantaged when the denominator was critical. These findings, particularly from the fraction identification task, were inconsistent with the attentional focus hypothesis, which proposes that the serialisation bias of a language guides which fraction component is attended to first. Rather, they were better explained by the verbal encoding hypothesis, which states that a necessary condition for observing language compatibility effects may be that the fraction components must be encoded in verbal working memory and rehearsed there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]