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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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter the literature concerning the following research questions is considered.

• What contributes to pupils’ enjoyment, motivation, sense of security and sense of
progress in learning mathematics?

• Are these factors related to each other?

• Are there differences in pupils’ attitudes towards learning mathematics between the
later stages of elementary school and junior high school, and if so, why might such
differences occur?

• Do pupils’ perceptions of self, classroom ethos and motivational orientation affect
their enjoyment, motivation, sense of security and sense of progress in learning
mathematics?

This study aims to explore pupils’ affective attitudes towards mathematics learning in
relation to specific teaching methods. Hitherto, teaching methods in mathematics
classes have mainly been studied in terms of their effectiveness in promoting pupils’
achievement. Studies focusing on pupils’ attitudes towards learning mathematics in
relation to teaching methods have rarely been conducted. For this reason, this chapter
reviews the literature on pupils’ attitudes towards learning more generally. Pupils’
perceptions of self, of classroom ethos and of their motivational orientations have been
studied in the context of Japanese culture as well as in western cultural contexts.
However, the relationships between these factors and pupils’ affective attitudes towards
mathematics learning in relation to specific teaching methods are un-researched.
Although the literature reviewed in this chapter considers what we know from key
research studies in western cultures, the emphasis is given to Japanese research where
this has been undertaken.

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