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

64

The second question is whether pupils’ enjoyment, motivation, sense of security and
sense of progress are related to each other. Overall, these aspects of pupils’ affective
attitudes have been reported as being related. The literature suggests that intrinsic
motivation can co-exist with internalised motivation, which is initially promoted by
external rewards through socialising agents, but is then maintained spontaneously
through self-reward. Intrinsic motivation and internalised motivation together enhance
pupils’ affective attitudes towards learning, promote pupils’ perception of their
competence and reduce anxiety, and in turn, lead to better performance. Developing
pupils’ perception of their competence in learning and ensuring their autonomy in
learning are important to promote intrinsic and internalised motivation. However,
extrinsic motivation, another ∞nstruct of motivational orientation, relates negatively to
intrinsic motivation, sense of security and sense of progress. Pupils’ perceptions of
themselves as being competent have been reported as reducing their anxiety in learning
and producing positive motivational behaviours, while perceptions of low competence
can lead to worry about performance, and anticipation of the possible consequences of
failure. Where this is the case pupils depend much more on extrinsic motivation. Pupils’
intrinsic motivation, internalised motivation, sense of security and sense of progress
appear to be mutually related.

The third question is whether a difference in pupils’ attitudes towards learning in
mathematics exists between students in the late stage of elementary school and in junior
high school. The American literature reports that pupils’ intrinsic motivation, interest,
appreciation of learning, competence beliefs, confidence, and self-esteem decrease
dramatically, and their anxiety increases, at transition from elementary school to junior
high school. The literature explains that the deterioration in older children’s motivational
consequences is partly due to developmental change, such as greater competence in
acquiring social comparisons and the change to entity-like perceptions of intelligence.
Children’s uncertainty regarding whether they can control learning through their
competence after transition produces uncertainty Ofjudgement about their own cognitive
competence; such uncertainty may lead to a decrease in their intrinsic motivation.
However, environmental factors, such as a more competitive, evaluative, controlling and
impersonal school and classroom atmosphere in junior high schools, will also have
negative effects on pupils’ affective attitudes towards learning. Children with low
perceptions oftheirown competence are especially vulnerable to environmental effects.

64

<<   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   >>

More intriguing information