5th and 8th grade pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions of the relationships between teaching methods, classroom ethos, and positive affective attitudes towards learning mathematics in Japan

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of elementary schools and 94.3% of junior high schools in 1983 and utilised as one of
the most prevailing instructional aids (National Institute for Educational Research, 1983).
However, with the emphasis on the introduction of learning mathematics with computers,
learning mathematics through TVZvideo has been less encouraged. For example, many
teachers mentioned that the TVZvideo facilities, which had been put in the classroom a
decade ago, had been removed. Therefore, the extent to which teachers can use
watching TVZvideo as a mathematics teaching method mainly depends on external
factors rather than the teachers’ choice. While the Course of Study 2002 encourages the
employment of audio educational instruments in classrooms generally, the use of audio
educational instruments in mathematics classrooms is not specifically mentioned. For
this reason, watching TVZvideo was not included in this study. The words indicating the
teaching methods were identical to those used for the pupils. Statements were devised
to communicate to teachers that they aimed to measure their pupils’ attitudes towards
learning mathematics as promoted by the different teaching methods used in
mathematics classes. A five-point rating system was employed as the form of response,
identical to that used for the pupils. The statements asking teachers the frequency of use
of different teaching methods and their perceptions of their pupils’ attitudes towards
learning mathematics promoted by the different teaching methods were as follows.

• How often do you use these teaching methods in your mathematics lessons?

• Do these methods help your pupils to enjoy learning mathematics?

• Do these methods encourage your pupils to try hard in mathematics?

• Do you think your pupils feel relaxed in learning mathematics when you use these
particular methods?

• Do you think these methods help your pupils to feel a sense of progress in learning
mathematics?

Teachers of both age groups were required to express in their own words their opinions
as to why they thought any particular aspect of their pupils’ attitudes towards learning
mathematics was promoted by a particular teaching method. The statements adopted in
the teachers’ questionnaire were as follows.

• Why do you think particular teaching methods enable your pupils to enjoy learning
mathematics?

• Why do you think particular teaching methods encourage your pupils to try hard in
mathematics?

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