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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The above table 3.2.4 shows the statements indicating the attributions in the
questionnaire sheet. The categories reflecting the pupils’ attributions employed in this
study were ability, effort, luck, support from their mathematics teacher, support at home,
and task difficulty. Weiner’s (1986) achievement attributions, classified by locus, stability,
and controllability dimensions, indicate that effort can be divided into two kinds, with
long-term effort as a stable factor and temporary or situational effort for examinations as
an unstable factor. Similarly, teachers’ support can be divided into two kinds, with
instructor bias∕favouritism as a stable factor, and help from the teacher as an unstable
factor. This study did not adopt this division. Weiner’s (1986) model, mentioned above,
includes health on the day of examination as an internal, unstable and uncontrollable
factor. This study did not include this category, because the pupils’ perceptions of their
own competencies in mathematics were assumed not to be reflected by the results of a
specific test, but rather by their longer-term feelings. Parental support and private
educational opportunities have a strong positive influence on children’s learning attitudes
and mathematics performance (DFE, 1992). Students not only discuss school with their
parents but also seek help in doing homework from parents, older siblings and their juku
teacher (Sawada, et al., 1986, Crystal et al. 1991). Therefore, support at home was
included.

Pupils’ perceptions Oftheirteachers praising them in mathematics classes

Pupils’ perceptions Oftheirteachers praising them in mathematics Classeswere included
as an indirect assessment of goal orientation. They were measured by asking the pupils
two questions. The first question concerned to what extent they perceived that their
teaching was praised according to four criteria.

• When pupils attain good results in Maths tests, compared to other pupils.

• When pupils have improved results in Maths tests over their previous results.

• When pupils make more effort in Maths, compared to other pupils.

• When pupils make more effort in Maths than they did before.

The second question concerned the extent to which they felt happy with their teacher’s
praise based on each criterion.

These statements are based on goal theory. The main concept of goal theory is as
follows. A mastery goal orientation sees an individual’s improvement and progress as

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