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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Teacher explanation, Individual work and Reading a textbook were perceived as most
frequently deployed at both grades. 8^th graders perceived that Individual help was also
frequently deployed, while 5^th graders overall did not perceive that this teaching method
was adopted frequently. 5^,h graders’ perceived frequency of Individual help was much
less than that of their teachers.

For 8^th graders the teaching methods frequently deployed were relatively closely
matched with pupils’ preferences as inferred from their responses regarding affective
attitudes. However, some incompatibility appeared to exist between the frequency of the
deployment of teaching methods and pupils’ preferred teaching methods at 5^th grade.
For 8^th graders, Teacher explanation, Individual work, and Individual help, which were
perceived as deployed most frequently, were perceived to have the least negative effect
on affective attitudes towards mathematics learning. For 5^th graders, Teacher
explanation appeared to be the least negative but they perceived that Individual help
negatively affected all attitudes and that Individual work negatively promoted enjoyment.

Teachers and pupils of both age groups reported that Reading a textbook was relatively
frequently deployed. It was not perceived by teachers or pupils as enhancing enjoyment
or motivation. The low frequency of the deployment of Practical work, Group discussion
and Using a computer does not necessarily indicate that either teachers or pupils
perceived that these teaching methods have a negative effect on pupils’ attitudes at 5^th
grade. In fact both teachers and pupils perceived that Practical work could have a
positive effect. Both teachers and pupils of 8^th graders reported that Practical work,
Using a computer, Whole-class discussion and Group discussion were hardly ever or
never deployed. The teachers perceived that these teaching methods were at least
neutral in promoting positive attitudes whereas the pupils perceived them as having a
negative effect.

Some teaching methods had very wide distributions in their reported frequency of
deployment, among the responses of both teachers and pupils in particular: Whole-class
discussion at 5^th grade and Reading a textbook at 8^th grade. This suggests that the
frequency of adopting these methods varies from one teacher to another. Some teaching
methods had a wide distribution in their reported frequency of deployment in only the
pupils’ responses. Teacher explanation and Individual help at both grades, and

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