Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise

Guangming Wang; Sheng Zhang; Jinfa Cai

doi:10.29333/ejmste/105875

Full Text (PDF)

Guangming Wang ¹ ^* , Sheng Zhang ¹, Jinfa Cai ²

More Detail

¹ College of Teacher Education, Tianjin Normal University, CHINA² Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Delaware, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between mathematics teachers’ praise and students’ mathematics-related beliefs and their perceived mathematics achievement rank in their respective classes. This study provided reliability and validity information about an instrument to assess high school students’ mathematics beliefs. Students’ mathematics-related beliefs are positively related to teachers’ praise, as well as students’ perceptions of their own achievement rank in their respective classes. While it was found that the proportion of students who reported that their teachers praised them was relatively low (about 28%), the more praise teachers provide, the more desirable mathematics-related beliefs students have. In addition, the more praise teachers provide, the higher students perceived achievement. The findings of this study suggest that teachers’ praise may foster more desirable mathematics-related beliefs and achievement.

Keywords

China
mathematics
students’ mathematics-related beliefs
teacher praise

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2019, Volume 15, Issue 7, Article No: em1713

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

Publication date: 21 Mar 2019

Article Views: 2924

Article Downloads: 1808

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1984). The effect of sampling error on convergence, improper solutions, and goodness-of-fit indices for maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis. Psychometrika, 49(2), 155-173. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02294170.
Cai, J. (1995). A cognitive analysis of US and Chinese students’ mathematical performance on tasks involving computation, simple problem solving, and complex problem solving. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Monographs Series No. 7, Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Cai, J. & Merlino, F. J. (2011). Metaphor: A powerful means for assessing students’ mathematical disposition. In D. J. Brahier & W. Speer (Eds.), Motivation and disposition: Pathways to learning mathematics (pp.147-156). National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2011 Yearbook. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Cai, J., Morris, A., Hohensee, C., Hwang, S., Robison, V., & Hiebert, J. (2017). Clarifying the impact of educational research on students’ learning. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(2), 118-123. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.48.2.0118.
Clarkson, P. C., Bishop, A., & Seah, W. T. (2010). Mathematics education and student values: The cultivation of mathematical wellbeing. In T. Lovat, R. Toomey, & N. Clement (Eds.), International research handbook on values education and student wellbeing (pp. 111-136). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8675-4_7.
Fan, L., Wong, N-Y., Cai, J. & Li, S. (Eds.). (2004). How Chinese learn mathematics: Perspectives from insiders. Singapore: World Scientific Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1142/5629.
Fennema, E., & Sherman, J. A. (1976). Fennema-Sherman mathematics attitudes scales: instruments designed to measure attitudes toward the learning of mathematics by females and males. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 7(5), 324-326. https://doi.org/10.2307/748467.
Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431693013001002.
Hannula, M. S., Bofah, E., Tuohilampi, L., & Metsämuuronen, J. (2014). A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between mathematics-related affect and achievement in Finland. In S. Oesterle, P. Liljedahl, C. Nicol & D. Allan (Eds.), Proceedings of the 38th conference of the IGPME and the 36th conference of the PME-NA (Vol. 3, pp. 249–256). Vancouver, Canada: PME.
House, J. D. (2009). Mathematics beliefs and achievement of a national sample of native american students: results from the trends in international mathematics and science study (timss) 2003 united states assessment. Psychological Reports, 104(2), 439. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.104.2.439-446.
Lapointe, J. M., Legault, F., & Batiste, S. J. (2005). Teacher interpersonal behavior and adolescents’ motivation in mathematics: a comparison of learning disabled, average, and talented students. International Journal of Educational Research, 43(1), 39-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2006.03.005.
Lay, Y. F., Ng, K. T., & Chong, P. S. (2015). Analyzing affective factors related to eighth grade learners’ science and mathematics achievement in TIMSS 2007. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 24(1), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-013-0163-0.
Leder, G. C. (1993). Teacher/student interactions in the mathematics classroom: A different perspective. In E. Fennema & G. C. Leder (Eds.), Mathematics and gender (149-168). Queensland, Australia: Queensland University Press.
Levpušček, M. P., & Zupančič, M. (2009). Math achievement in early adolescence: the role of parental involvement, teachers’ behavior, and students’ motivational beliefs about math. Journal of Early Adolescence, 29(4), 541-570. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431608324189.
Ma, X. (1999). A meta-analysis of the relationship between anxiety toward mathematics and achievement in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(5), 520-540. https://doi.org/10.2307/749772.
Marchant, G. J., Paulson, S. E., & Rothlisberg, B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students’ perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38(6), 505–519. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.1039.
McLeod, D. B. (1992). Research on affect in mathematics education: A reconceptualization. In D. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning: A project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (pp. 575-596). New York, NY: Macmillan.
Middleton, J., Jansen, A., & Goldin, G. A. (2017). The complexities of mathematical engagement: Motivation, affect, and social interactions. In J. Cai (Ed.), Compendium for research in mathematics education (pp. 667-699). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Moyer J. C., Robison, V., & Cai, J. (2018). Attitudes of high-school students taught using traditional and reform mathematics curricula in middle school: A retrospective analysis. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 98(2), 115-134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9809-4.
Op’t Eynde, P., & De Corte, E. (2003). Students’ mathematics-related belief systems: Design and analysis of a questionnaire. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Op’t Eynde, P., De Corte, E., & Verschaffel, L. (2002). Framing students’ mathematics-related beliefs. In Leder, G. C., Pehkonen, E., & Törner, G. (Eds.), Beliefs: A hidden variable in mathematics education? (pp. 13-37). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47958-3_2.
Pantziara, M. (2016). Student self-efficacy beliefs. In G. A. Goldin, M. S. Hannula, E. Heyd-Metzuyanim, A. Jansen, R. Kaasila, S. Lutovac, . . . Q. Zhang (Eds.), Attitudes, beliefs, motivation and identity in mathematics education: An overview of the field and future directions (pp. 7-11). Dordrecht: Springer.
Patrick, H., Ryan, A. M., & Kaplan, A. (2007). Early adolescents’ perceptions of the classroom social environment, motivational beliefs, and engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 83-98. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.1.83.
Pepin, B., & Roesken-Winter, B. (Eds.). (2015). From beliefs to dynamic affect systems in mathematics education: Exploring a mosaic of relationships and interactions. Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06808-4.
Phillipson, S. (2010). Parental role in relation to students’ cognitive ability towards academic achievement in Hong Kong. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.3860/taper.v19i2.1594.
Phillipson, S., & Phillipson, S. N. (2007). Academic expectations, belief of ability, and involvement by parents as predictors of child achievement: A cross-cultural comparison. Educational Psychology, 27(3), 329-348. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410601104130.
Rodríguez, S., Piñeiro, I., Gómez-Taibo, M. L., Regueiro, B., Estévez, I., & Valle, A. (2017). An explanatory model of maths achievement:perceived parental involvement and academic motivation. Psicothema, 29(2), 184.
Schneider, B., & Lee, Y. A model for academic success: The school and home environment of East Asian students. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 21(4), 358-377. https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.1990.21.4.04x0596x.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1989). Explorations of students’ mathematical beliefs and behavior. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 20(4), 338-355. https://doi.org/10.2307/749440.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1992). Learning to think mathematically: Problem solving, metacognition, and sense making in mathematics. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning: A project of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (pp. 334-370). New York, NY, England: Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc.
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2011). Self-concept and self-efficacy in mathematics: Relation with mathematics motivation and achievement. Journal of Education Research, 5(3/4), 241-265.
Wentzel, K. R. (1997). Student motivation in middle school: The role of perceived pedagogical caring. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(3), 411-419. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.89.3.411.
Zijlstra, H., Wubbels, T., Brekelmans, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2013). Child perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior and associations with mathematics achievement in dutch early grade classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 113(4), 517-540. https://doi.org/10.1086/669618.

How to cite this article

APA

Wang, G., Zhang, S., & Cai, J. (2019). Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(7), em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

Vancouver

Wang G, Zhang S, Cai J. Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2019;15(7):em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

AMA

Wang G, Zhang S, Cai J. Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2019;15(7), em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

Chicago

Wang, Guangming, Sheng Zhang, and Jinfa Cai. "Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2019 15 no. 7 (2019): em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

Harvard

Wang, G., Zhang, S., and Cai, J. (2019). Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 15(7), em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875

MLA

Wang, Guangming et al. "Chinese High School Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs and Their Perceived Mathematics Achievement: A Focus on Teachers’ Praise". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 15, no. 7, 2019, em1713. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/105875