1997/01/01 by Zemira R. Mevarech, Bracha Kramarski · 323 citations
Mathematics · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Acronym #Artificial intelligence #Cognition #Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills #Computer science #Control (management) #Education and Critical Thinking Development #Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods #Interdependence #Mathematics education #Metacognition #Pedagogy #Psychology #Teaching method #Tracking (education)
paper · doi:10.3102/00028312034002365
published in American Educational Research Journal 34(2), 365-394 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 1997/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
The purpose of the present research was to design an innovative instructional method for teaching mathematics in heterogeneous classrooms (with no tracking) and to investigate its effects on students’ mathematics achievement. The method is based on current theories in social cognition and metacognition. It consists of three interdependent components: metacognitive activities, peer interaction, and systematic provision of feedback-corrective-enrichment. The method is called IMPROVE, the acronym of which represents all the teaching steps that constitute the method: Introducing the new concepts, Metacognitive questioning, Practicing, Reviewing and reducing difficulties, Obtaining mastery, Verification, and Enrichment. The research includes two studies, both implemented in seventh grades: One focused on in-depth analyses of students’ information processing under the different learning conditions (N = 247), and one investigated the development of students’ mathematical reasoning over a full academic year (N = 265). Results of both studies showed that IMPROVE students significantly outperformed the nontreatment control groups on various measures of mathematics achievement. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are discussed.