Examining lesson study and its effect on improving the learning of fractions third-grade mathematics textbook

The aim of the present qualitative research, conducted with a participatory approach, was to facilitate the teaching of fractions from the third-grade mathematics textbook. The research population consists of 23 female elementary school students from Shahid Fahmideh Elementary School in the city of Bistun, Kermanshah Province. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews and direct observation in two stages by the research team to reach data saturation. In the process of conducting the research, teaching was examined in two stages using question and answer methods and lesson plan construction. Based on the evaluations conducted by the team, strengths and weaknesses in the initial teaching and its implementation by the instructor were identified. After reviewing and addressing these weaknesses and implementing the recommendations, a second lesson was taught using an active participatory approach and constructivist methods. By employing constructivist methods in the second teaching session, changes were observed in the teaching and learning process of the students. These changes indicate the impact of team critiques and teacher corrections. Based on the conducted evaluations, 85 open codes, 16 axial codes, and 7 selective codes were identified. The findings indicate that factors such as communication skills, motivation creation, verbal and non-verbal skills, time management, utilization of innovative classroom teaching methods, application of findings, instructional skills, learning environment, as well as human perceptional and technical skills have an impact on learning in the aforementioned lesson.