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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choose mathematics for further study in higher education if they enjoyed mathematics
learning while young. She commented that teachers had the responsibility for ensuring
that students experienced enjoyment in mathematics when it was compulsory
(ap.6.1.3.8^th).

Three 5^th grade teachers (15%) and two 8^th grade teachers (17%) expressed neutral or
less positive beliefs. Some teachers believed that improving pupils’ sense of progress
and confidence was more important than ensuring that pupils experienced enjoyable
activities. One 5^th grade teacher commented that it was too late to enable 5^th graders to
value learning mathematics by providing enjoyable lessons, because children had
formed stable feelings towards mathematics by 5^th grade. This teacher suggested that
developing a mastery-oriented classroom ethos and encouraging pupils to have
confidence in mathematics learning was more important than making lessons merely
enjoyable (ap.6.1.4.5^th). Another issue raised was the need to cover the curriculum. For
instance, one 5^th grade teacher said that although she realised that children could retain
what they had learned in long-term memory better when they learned mathematics
through inspiration arising from enjoyable activities rather than memorisation, the
pressured curriculum did not allow such a relaxed teaching approach (ap.6.1.5.5^th).
Parents were also a factor. Another 5^th grade teacher said that she had to give
precedence to improving pupils’ attainment in order to satisfy parental demands,
especially in mathematics (ap.6.1.6.5^th). Such parental and social expectations regarding
improving attainment seemed to increase as children proceeded through the grades.
This is because mathematics is normally required for the entrance examination for high
schools in Japan. Attaining the level of the high school examination therefore is an
important factor, and more important than considering pupils’ enjoyment in mathematics
learning for 8^th grade teachers. One 8^th grade teacher confessed that he felt tensions
between his desire that pupils should like learning mathematics and his need to cram
them with knowledge and skills to get through the entrance examination (ap.6.1.7.8^th).
Some teachers (ap.6.1.8.8^th) said that it was difficult to promote enjoyment because
individual pupils liked different things.

Two 5^th grade teachers (10%) and three 8^th grade teachers (25%) stressed that pupils
concentrated on their work when they were enjoying lessons, while they might be off
task when they felt bored. One 5^th grade teacher (ap.6.1.9.5^th) and one 8^th grade teacher

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