Considering that the teaching of mathematics in elementary school is an important prerequisite for the development of mathematically literate citizens, it is essential to identify what makes it effective. The aim of this study is to determine the characteristics of effective interventions in elementary school mathematics education. To this end, a scoping review was conducted that included 44 experimental studies published between 2014 and 2023. Through a qualitative analysis of the intervention descriptions, we identified 27 characteristics, which were categorized into nine thematic units. We found that, on average, seven characteristics were used per intervention. The results of this study suggest that effective elementary school mathematics instruction should foster students’ conceptual understanding and procedural fluency through problem-solving, active learning, and mathematical games. This can be achieved through a dynamic alternation of whole-class instruction and cooperative and individual learning with the use of manipulatives and visualizations to reach the level of abstraction. Considering that the analyzed interventions rarely addressed students’ common errors and critical thinking, future research could focus on these aspects in elementary school mathematics education.

The materials and artefacts used by teachers and students for learning mathematics have always had an important role in mathematics education. Key among such materials are textbooks and teacher guides. The study presented in this paper attempts to investigate the interaction between mathematics teachers and the teacher guide as well as its influence on textbook use in the classroom. The qualitative approach involved a case study with two mathematics teachers from Croatia. The results showed that the participants used different types of textbook and teacher guide mobilisation in a dynamic way. The analysis of the teacher guide showed that it contains little educative support, but the results obtained from the observations and interviews suggest that the teacher guide had an educative impact on teachers, supporting their use of active teaching methods in their classroom practice.

The literature reports that while digital educational games are used in the elementary classroom, they are rarely, if ever, used in the upper secondary mathematics classroom. In order to investigate this situation, a survey was conducted to determine what upper secondary school mathematics teachers think about digital games and what obstacles and limitations they perceive in using DGBL as a teaching approach. The results indicate that mathematics teachers view digital games as a useful teaching tool; however, the lack of knowledge about teaching with digital games and shortage of appropriate games for teaching upper secondary mathematics seems to discourage them from using them as a main teaching tool. These findings imply that professional development should be designed with a focus on teacher training. Furthermore, the development of constructionist-based games should be considered, where games are based on meaning-making rather than practicing mathematical content, as has previously been the case.

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) can be regarded as a promising teaching pedagogy to prepare students for challenges of the 21st century. However, the incorporation of digital games into K-12 curricula remains limited. Research suggests that a comprehensive understanding of barriers and motivational factors that teachers face when implementing DGBL is needed to ensure that teachers can receive the support required. To delineate suggestions for tailored curricula on game-based pedagogy in teacher education programs, we conducted a study to gain insight into in-service teachers’ perception of DGBL in relation to their previous experience in teaching with DGBL. To achieve our goal, we examined the factors that impede and promote the implementation of DGBL among in-service teachers who are presently pursuing master's level education programs, having in mind that this group of teachers is different from pre-service teachers. Data was collected using an online survey with open- and closed-ended questions. The sample consisted of in-service teachers (n=37) who were enrolled in a master’s course in math education. The data analysis conducted was of a qualitative nature. One significant finding derived from this study is that the level of pedagogical experience in utilizing games as a teaching tool appears to be a crucial factor in understanding the inclination of in-service teachers towards game-based pedagogy. Pedagogical factors were mentioned by teachers at all stages of experience with DGBL, and differences were observed between teachers at different stages. For instance, in-service teachers with experience with DGBL (intermediate and advanced stages) were concerned about being able to maintain focus on the math concepts, the need to adapt the game lesson to students, and the ways to evaluate student learning less experienced teachers were essentially concerned about ways to control the classroom during DGBL and whether the pupils would receive adequate practice in this learning mode. Differences were also noted for other factors between teachers at different stages. Advanced stage teachers did have concerns about game appropriateness for the intended learning; teachers with less experience were concerned about the lack of games (technical factors). Dealing with an existing curriculum and high workload were common aspects for teachers with no or some experience but only teachers with some experience mentioned obstacles related to school organization (structural factors). Teachers with few and some experience referred to the lack of knowledge and competence (personal factors) and that pupils would not take the lessons with games seriously (social factors). This research supports DGBL- practice (i) by adding new knowledge on the factors that can support or constrain the integration of DGBL and its implications for the development of curricula on game-based pedagogy; (ii) by providing suggestions to design and implement meaningful curricula on digital game-based pedagogy for teaching education and training programs.

Various curriculum resources emerged in the last decades, but the textbook still remains the most used teaching and learning resource in mathematics classrooms. In this paper, we use a case study to analyze teaching practice of one math teacher. The aim of the study is to examine how math teacher interacts with the textbook and teacher guide, especially when teacher offloads on those resources, adapts them or improvises in the classroom. The study was conducted using lessons observations and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that teacher does not favour particular type of resource mobilization. Her interaction with resources can be characterized as a dynamic interplay, where type of resource mobilization exchange between the lessons and within a lesson as well. Moreover, teacher’s mobilization of textbook and teacher guide depends on teacher’s goals and assessment of the most pedagogically beneficial instruction for students.