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

65

Taken together, the findings from the literature indicate that pupils’ enjoyment,
motivation, sense of security and sense of progress are related to each other. Pupils’
perception of their competence and autonomy in learning are assumed to be main
factors in maintaining favourable affective attitudes. Although individual differences
seem to exist in ways of reacting to environmental stimuli, teachers can support pupils
by intentionally developing their perceptions of their competence and their autonomy in
learning. The possible measures identified which teachers can take in a classroom
include:

• Encouraging pupils to believe that they can manage the task;

• The introduction of criterion-referenced evaluation and avoiding too strict norm-
referenced evaluation;

• The provision of competence feedback rather than controlling feedback;

• Supporting pupils in setting up optimal and specific self-determined learning goals;

• The provision of tasks with optimal level of difficulty;

• Preparing learning activities and materials containing challenge, curiosity and
fantasy;

• Informing pupils of the meaning and purposes of learning;

• Promoting positive relationships in a class, to support the individual child’s
performance outcomes.

In the new Course of Study, the Ministry of Education in Japan proposes these
measures to promote pupils’ affective attitudes towards mathematics learning.

The fourth question concerns whether pupils’ perceptions of self, classroom ethos and
motivational orientation affect their enjoyment, motivation, sense of security and sense
of progress. The literature suggests that these aspects of pupils’ perceptions are related
to their attitudes towards mathematics learning. Western theories propose that outcomes
being compatible with the ideal self, satisfaction in classes, effort-based attribution, and
mastery goal orientation based on an incremental theory of intelligence produce positive
effects on pupils’ affective attitudes. In contrast, incompatibility between ideal and actual
self, perceived difficulty and friction and high competitiveness in classes, ascribing
failure to lack of ability, and performance goal orientation based on the entity theory of
intelligence produces negative effects on pupils’ affective attitudes; these are found in
older children. Teachers can support pupils in having positive affective attitudes towards

65

<<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   >>

More intriguing information