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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For 8^th graders, lower difficulty and higher competitiveness had positive effects on
perceived affective attitudes as promoted by Reading a textbook, Teacher explanation
and individualised methods. Perceived lower levels of difficulty also affected the
perceived frequency of deployment of these teaching methods positively. 8^th graders’
perceptions of the level of friction, overall, did not affect their affective attitudes promoted
by different teaching methods. However, 8^th graders reporting lower friction perceived a
higher frequency of deployment of Teacher explanation.

5^th grade teachers who had a high concern for classroom ethos in mathematics classes
were likely to take a greater interest in Practical work and Group discussion, although
those attempting to reduce pupils’ difficulty in mathematics learning believed more that
individual work promoted pupils’ motivation. 8^th grade teachers who had a higher level of
concern for classroom ethos in mathematics classes were likely to emphasise individual
work and help, although those attempting to improve cohesiveness in mathematics
classes perceived that Whole-class discussion could promote pupils’ sense of security
more than their colleagues.

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