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Low achievement in mathematics across educational levels has long been a concern for researchers. Recent evidence points to equipping teachers with skills and competencies that align with the demands of the modern, technology-rich world. This systematic review explored how technology-facilitated heutagogical practices contribute to the professional development of preservice and in-service mathematics teachers. Drawing on 21 empirical studies published between 2017 and 2024, this review identified three major findings. First, technology-enhanced heutagogical practices promote teaching skills by fostering learner autonomy, self-reflection, and professional identity development. Second, tools such as mobile apps, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), adaptive learning platforms, and collaborative digital environments support the integration of heutagogical principles. Third, implementation is challenged by limited digital access, institutional constraints, and the need for gradual adaptation to self-determined learning models. These findings prove the need for policy and institutional investment in digital infrastructure, blended learning models, and teacher support. Theoretically, this study affirms heutagogy as a relevant pedagogical approach for preparing mathematics teachers in dynamic learning contexts. There is also a need for more empirical studies to investigate scalable models for technology-driven heutagogy, especially in resource-constrained settings.

Research has shown that both learners and teachers struggle to understand and teach geometric transformations meaningfully. This mixed-methods case study examined the efficacy of the Student Teams Achievement Division (STAD) cooperative learning model in fostering learners’ conceptual understanding of geometric transformations. This study involved 28 Grade 12 learners from one intact class. In addition to pre- and post-intervention tests, which measured learners’ conceptual understanding of geometric transformations, participants completed a feedback questionnaire at the end of the intervention. The results show that the STAD model significantly improved learners’ grasp of geometric transformations, as demonstrated by higher test scores in the post-test. Participants also highlighted the importance of well-crafted questions during group discussions and oral quizzes, teacher explanations during whole-class presentations, and the motivational impact of criteria for selecting and awarding top-performing groups. Based on Shapiro’s intervention evaluation criteria, the STAD model was found to be effective, with high levels of acceptability, integrity, and social validity. While this study confirms the STAD model’s effectiveness in enhancing conceptual understanding and social learning, it also emphasizes the importance of considering contextual factors, such as group dynamics and classroom resource availability, when implementing this cooperative learning model. Teachers are encouraged to tailor this learning strategy to their specific classroom environments and learners’ needs.

This study analysed first-year preservice teachers’ understanding of trigonometric equations at a South African university in the Eastern Cape province. We employed the Action-Process-Object-Schema (APOS) framework to analyse the mental constructions made by preservice teachers in solving trigonometric equations. A qualitative case study design was employed to analyse test scripts from 223 preservice teachers, complemented by follow-up interviews with eight of these participants. Findings show that the success rate in the two analysed items was low. Students who had not developed specific mental structures could not solve the given problems. Only 15.5% of the participants reached the Object level, while 76% remained at the Action or Process stages. Conversely, 8.5% of the participants were at the pre-Action stage, having not shown evidence of action mental structures conjectured in the genetic decomposition. Challenges encountered include difficulties with algebraic manipulations, reference angles, angle relationships across quadrants, and conversions between degrees and radians. The analysis further revealed a lack of understanding of the periodic nature of trigonometric functions and the general solution derivation.ContributionThese findings reflect global trends in mathematical struggles across various educational levels, particularly in solving trigonometric equations. The study highlights the importance of assessing preservice teachers’ mathematical knowledge both at the entry and exit points of their training programmes. Such dual assessments could improve their content mastery and teaching effectiveness. This suggests that adjusting educational strategies to address these identified gaps could foster significant growth.

This study examined the effect of a professional development training programme on 20 second-year preservice mathematics teachers’ knowledge in foundational mathematical concepts at a rural university in South Africa. The training programme aimed to enhance preservice teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching. An embedded mixed-methods case study design was employed. Baseline and endline assessments were administered before and after the training. A participant feedback survey was also administered after the training. Results showed that the training significantly improved the preservice teachers’ understanding and confidence in the selected concepts, despite their low baseline scores. The participants also expressed satisfaction with the knowledge they gained and appreciated the integration of theory and practice in the training. These findings suggest the need for teacher training institutions to ensure that preservice teachers are well versed in both university-level and school-level mathematics. They also support the need for collaboration with other stakeholders to provide preservice teachers with relevant and engaging professional development opportunities that can enhance their mathematical knowledge for teaching.ContributionFindings of this study point to a renewed emphasis on the creation of greater collaborations between institutions of higher learning and other key stakeholders to promote the development of prospective teachers’ knowledge of what they will be expected to teach.

Logarithmic differentiation is an effective method that aids the process of finding the derivatives of complex exponential functions. However, there has been a scarcity of studies, particularly in the South African context, that have provided evidence on pre-service mathematics teachers’ understanding of the concept of logarithmic differentiation. This study explored pre-service teachers’ conceptualization of logarithmic differentiation through action-process-object-schema (APOS) theory. We employed a qualitative case study design involving 90 first-year pre-service teachers enrolled in a mathematics teacher education program at a university in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. Overall, the analysis showed that 63.9% of the participants demonstrated a substantial understanding of logarithmic differentiation processes, including 46.1% who had reached the schema stage. Nonetheless, common misconceptions and errors persisted, particularly among those who operated at action and beginning process stages. Errors and misconceptions such as the misapplication of differentiation rules, calculation errors in combining derivatives, and conceptual misunderstanding were evident. These findings highlight the need for mathematics teacher preparation programs to emphasize both conceptual and procedural understanding of differentiation. Achieving this goal may involve targeted instruction on relevant foundational concepts, continuous professional development, and integration of active learning strategies, such as the activities, classroom discussions, and exercises (ACE) teaching cycles to address common misconceptions.

Research on Mathematics Teacher Educators (MTEs) is crucial for enhancing the professional development of prospective mathematics teachers. However, there is a dearth of recent studies focusing on MTEs’ preparedness for technology integration, particularly within the Zambian educational context, and the wider Sub-Saharan African region. This study assessed the readiness of MTEs in Zambia to effectively integrate digital technology into mathematics education, examining their perceived technological proficiency and familiarity, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. Using a predominantly quantitative cross sectional research design, responses were gathered from 104 MTEs across 16 colleges of education and 12 universities in Zambia through an online semi-structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that, on average, MTEs exhibited low to moderate familiarity with various mathematics-related software applications, e-learning management systems, and web-based video conferencing tools. Although technological proficiency and perceived ease of use were somewhat lacking, MTEs demonstrated awareness of the value of digital technology and expressed willingness to ensure that preservice mathematics teachers acquire the necessary information and skills for technology integration in mathematics teaching and learning. Furthermore, willingness to use technology in the classroom was significantly predicted by perceived usefulness of, and proficiency with, various digital tools. The study also revealed that individuals tend to perceive technology as easier to use as they become more technologically proficient. In light of these findings, it is suggested that access to technological support not only enhances MTEs’ perception of technology’s ease of use but also positively influences their inclination to incorporate it into instructional strategies.

The fourth industrial revolution has brought about significant changes in various fields including the education sector. It is increasingly essential for individuals, particularly student teachers, to embrace lifelong learning and acquire the know-how and skills required to grow into autonomous and critical thinkers. In this paper, we examine the virtual “air campus” experiences of 39 first-year student teachers of mathematics at a rural university in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. The heutagogical approach served as a lens for trainee teachers’ virtual “air campus” explorations. An exploratory qualitative case study design was employed to provide answers to two main questions that guided the inquiry. Findings of the study show that trainee teachers had varied experiences regarding what they learned from their virtual “air campus” visits. These include what constitutes effective teaching and how students learn as well as correction of common misconceptions regarding specific concepts in school mathematics. Through virtual lesson observations on the “air campus” of their choice, trainee teachers were also able to create their professional identities in terms of their future goals, ideal teacher traits, and desired teaching and learning environments. These findings demonstrate that integrating virtual learning environments into teacher education curricula and assessment has practical implications for enhancing trainee teachers’ self-directed learning, critical thinking, and professional identity development.

Microteaching has been viewed as a professional development tool that gives pre-service teachers the chance to strengthen their teaching skills. This paper presents an overview of the research on microteaching in mathematics teacher education, noting its prospects and challenges while also making recommendations for modifications to its application. A thorough analysis of 28 empirical papers on microteaching in mathematics teacher preparation that were published between 2000 and 12 May 2023, was conducted. Findings demonstrate that microteaching is an effective approach for enhancing pre-service teachers’ core mathematics teaching skills. It is suggested that microteaching, which begins in a laboratory setting with the development of essential teaching skills, should not end there; it should give trainee teachers an opportunity to learn and practice in a real classroom context. Microteaching activities require more time, more supervisors, and more resources to function at its maximum capacity. Technology has also demonstrated greater promise when it comes to enhancing microteaching’s position in facilitating the development of pre-service mathematics teachers’ instructional skills.

Students’ ability to apply mathematical knowledge to various situations has been one of the major concerns in mathematics education research. However, little is known about the assessment strategies that have a substantial contribution to the development of mathematical problem-solving skills in kindergarten children through to upper secondary school students. In this review of existing literature, we discuss the contribution of assessment strategies in the last three decades in strengthening learners’ acquisition of mathematical problem-solving skills. Twenty peer-reviewed conference papers and journal articles published from 1997 to 2020, downloaded from Google Scholar, Academia, and ERIC databases have been analyzed and discussed. Based on this review, it has been noted that the application of assessment strategies such as Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes taxonomy, Higher-Order Thinking Skills model, performance assessments, authentic assessments, dynamic assessments, and video games-based assessments alongside the learner-centered/active learning methods like problem-based and cooperative learning is bound to strengthen students’ mathematical problem-solving skills.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of private supplementary tutoring on grade 12 learners’ mathematics performance in selected schools within the OR Tambo Inland District, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The research involved 347 participants from four schools and was grounded in Lev Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning theory. Utilizing quantitative methodology and a causal-comparative research design, data were collected through a questionnaire and the standardized mathematics test. Both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were employed in the analysis of data. Findings indicate that learners who attended private supplementary tutoring significantly outperformed those who did not. Additionally, 72.5% of the privately tutored learners sought tutoring to enhance their overall mathematics performance, while 86.1% of the non-tutored cited affordability as the primary barrier. Recommendations include strategies for stakeholders to maximize the benefits of private supplementary tutoring sessions and to develop alternative measures to support learners who are financially constrained from accessing such tutorials.