Understanding and Cultivating the Development of Students' Competencies in Justifying and Proving

The goal of this longitudinal study is to trace the development of middle school students’ competencies in justifying and proving and to identify factors that influence that development. The objectives of this project are threefold: (1) to understand the development of students’ competencies in justifying and proving, (2) to understand the instructional conditions and pedagogy necessary to promote the development of those competencies, and (3) to develop teacher preparation and professional development materials designed to support teachers’ efforts to foster the development of students’ competencies in justifying and proving.