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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CHAPTERS: METHODOLOGY

3.1: Howwas the research conducted?

This study adopted a cross-sectional survey strategy, using questionnaire and interview
methods. The survey strategy is effective for gathering data drawn from large samples
and generalising to the whole population. It is within that framework of research defined
by Kerlinger (1964) as the relative incidence, distribution and interrelationships of
naturally occurring phenomena. Robson (1993) indicates that there are three main
research strategies: experiment, survey and case study. This study adopted survey
strategies. These characteristics of surveys match well with the aims of the study, which
aims to examine the perceptions of teachers and pupils of 5^th and 8^th grades and obtain
generalisable findings.

An alternative approach would have been to adopt a case study strategy which develops
detailed and intensive knowledge about a single case or a small number of related
cases. Schools or teachers adopting a new teaching method sometimes publish their
own report as a case study based on their experience. Such studies contribute to finding
out what is going on, and may provide other new insights, but cannot lead to a
generalised finding. The intention of this study was to obtain findings, which might be
generalised to some extent even if the depth of information obtained was limited. An
experimental strategy measures the effects of manipulating one variable on another
variable. Comparisons of the effects of deliberately assigned teaching methods have
often been conducted as experimental research, although most of these studies focus
on the effects of the teaching methods on the pupils’ attainment, as mentioned in the first
chapter. This study aims to investigate teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of pupils’
attitudes towards learning reflected in their perceptions of teaching methods adopted in
natural settings: no control conditions were included.

Information in this study was sought from a consideration of data derived from pupils and
their teachers at different ages at one time, relating to the introduction of educational
reform 2002 in Japan. This aim is well matched with the distinctive features of cross-
sectional studies, which focus on the make-up of the different groups of the sample, and
the state of affairs in the population at one point in time. This differs from longitudinal

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