Journal of Research in Science and Mathematics Education

Levels of Graphical Comprehension in Statistical Activities in Mathematics Textbooks

Camila Peralta — 2026-04-21

Purpose: The development of statistical competence is a central objective in contemporary education, enabling students to interpret and critically engage with data in everyday contexts. Graphical comprehension—defined as the ability to read, interpret, and analyse statistical representations—constitutes a key curricular skill. This study examines the levels of graphical comprehension promoted by statistical graph activities in mathematics textbooks distributed by the Chilean Ministry of Education for Year 7 (ages 12–13) to Year 10 (ages 15–16). Methodology: A qualitative descriptive design was employed, using content analysis to systematically examine textbook activities involving statistical graphs. The analysis was guided by Aoyama’s hierarchy of graphical comprehension to classify the cognitive demand of tasks. Findings: The results reveal a strong predominance of Level 2 activities, focused on basic graph reading, including the identification of explicit values and simple comparisons. The proportion of such tasks increases from 67.7% in Year 7 to 90% in Year 10, indicating a decline in cognitive demand across grade levels. Higher-order levels—rational/literal (Level 3) and critical (Level 4)—are minimally represented, while hypothesis generation (Level 5) is entirely absent. Significance: These findings suggest that current textbooks predominantly emphasise lower-order cognitive skills, thereby limiting the development of advanced analytical and critical reasoning in statistics. The study highlights the need to redesign textbook activities to progressively foster higher levels of graphical comprehension, with implications for both pre-service and in-service teacher education.

Self-Efficacy in Indonesian Mathematics Pedagogy: A Systematic Literature Review

Andi Mariani Ramlan — 2026-04-21

Purpose: This study presents a systematic literature review examining mathematics self-efficacy research within the Indonesian educational context from 2019 to 2024. Methodology: Guided by the PRISMA 2020 protocol, fifty-seven peer-reviewed journal articles were identified through the GARUDA database, meeting strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were analyzed to determine frequently used keywords, primary research themes, and temporal trends. Keyword analysis revealed a predominant focus on constructs such as learning outcomes, problem-solving ability, motivation, and academic achievement, indicating a learner-centered orientation. Findings: Thematic synthesis demonstrated that most studies investigated the impact of self-efficacy on mathematics achievement, with fewer addressing affective factors, conceptual understanding, or higher-order thinking skills. Temporal analysis indicated a publication peak in 2021, followed by a decline, potentially linked to shifts in theoretical frameworks and pandemic-related disruptions. Significance: Findings underscore the critical role of self-efficacy in shaping students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement in mathematics, and call for more diverse methodological approaches and participant demographics in future research.

Smartphone Use in Mathematics Learning: Effects on Students’ Mathematical Understanding and Learning Motivation

Hanifah — 2026-04-21

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between smartphone use and two key learning outcomes in secondary mathematics education: students’ mathematical understanding and mathematics learning motivation. The increasing availability of mobile technologies has created new opportunities for integrating digital resources into classroom instruction. However, the educational impact of smartphones depends largely on how they are pedagogically implemented. This research therefore investigates whether guided smartphone use during mathematics learning is associated with improvements in students’ conceptual understanding and learning motivation. Methodology: A quantitative correlational design was employed involving 57 Grade X students from a public secondary school in Indonesia. Data were collected using a mathematical understanding test and a mathematics learning motivation questionnaire following one semester of smartphone‑supported learning. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, normality and linearity testing, and simple linear regression analysis. Findings: The results indicate that smartphone integration is positively associated with students’ mathematical understanding and learning motivation, although the magnitude of the explained variance is relatively modest. Significance: These findings suggest that smartphones can function as supportive learning tools when integrated through structured pedagogical activities that encourage conceptual exploration and collaborative discussion. The study contributes to the growing literature on mobile learning in mathematics education by highlighting the importance of teacher‑guided smartphone integration in supporting both cognitive and motivational aspects of learning.

Mathematical Communication in Mathematics Education: Productivity, Impact, and Emerging Themes from a Bibliometric Perspective

Yuni Arrifadah — 2026-04-21

Purpose: Mathematical communication is a key competence in mathematics education that supports students’ reasoning, conceptual understanding, and problem solving. Despite the growing volume of empirical studies, a systematic overview of research trends and scholarly influence in this field remains limited. Methodology: This study aims to map the research landscape of mathematical communication in mathematics education through a bibliometric analysis. A total of 141 English-language journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus database and selected following PRISMA guidelines. Bibliometric techniques—including publication and citation analysis, country and institutional performance analysis, and keyword co-occurrence analysis—were conducted using VOSviewer. Findings: The results show a steady increase in research output, particularly after 2019, with Indonesia emerging as the most productive country in terms of publication count. Significance: Research themes are predominantly centered on instructional strategies, student learning outcomes, problem solving, and mathematical literacy. These findings provide conceptual insights into the evolution of mathematical communication research and inform future theoretical and methodological developments in mathematics education.

Error Patterns and Predictors in Solving Algebraic Word Problems: Evidence from Secondary School Students

Emmanuel Gyimah Osei — 2026-04-21

Purpose: Mathematics word problems, particularly in linear equations, remain challenging for secondary students due to difficulties in comprehension and algebraic reasoning. This study aims to analyze students’ errors in solving linear equation word problems using Newman’s Error Analysis, identify the underlying causes, and examine instructional practices that influence students’ performance. Methodology: A descriptive mixed-methods approach was employed, combining 220 students’ written responses to word problem tasks with 10 teacher interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the distribution of error types, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis to explore students’ difficulties and instructional factors. Findings: The findings indicate that errors occurred across all stages of Newman’s framework, with comprehension, transformation, and encoding errors being the most dominant, while reading errors were relatively minimal. Students experienced difficulties in interpreting problem contexts, translating verbal statements into algebraic expressions, and presenting accurate final answers. Significance: These errors were associated with misconceptions about variables and equality, limited conceptual understanding, and weak procedural fluency. In addition, instructional practices, including a strong emphasis on procedures and limited use of visual representations, contributed to these difficulties. This study highlights the importance of diagnostic error analysis and suggests the need for instructional approaches that integrate conceptual understanding, algebraic reasoning, and meaningful problem-solving experiences.