Naslov
High school mathematics teachers’ methods, of teaching, assessment and motivating students: a qualitative study

Autori
Putarek, Vanja ; Pavlin-Bernaridć, Nina ; Huić, Aleksandra ; Vlahović-Štetić, Vesna

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Savremeni trendovi u psihologiji 2021 / - Novi Sad : Filozofski fakultet Univerziteta u Novom Sadu, 2021, 179-180

Skup
Savremeni trendovi u psihologiji = Current Trends in Psychology

Mjesto i datum
Novi Sad, Srbija, 28.10.2021. - 30.10.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
mathematics ; teaching methods ; motivation ; knowledge evaluation

Sažetak
Mathematics is one of the first STEM subjects that students encounter in school. Continuous learning of mathematics throughout primary education, through various high school and vocational programs during secondary education, shows the importance of mathematics for acquiring the competencies needed to cope with everyday life and to perform in many professions and disciplines. It is therefore important that students become proficient in basic mathematical reasoning. However, the results of PISA research (eg Braš Roth, Markočić Dekanić and Markuš Sandrić, 2017) in the field of mathematical literacy show that Croatian students can perform clearly described procedures and apply simple strategies, but cannot integrate knowledge and connect it with real life situations. To better understand factors underlying these results, we conducted a study aimed at examining high school mathematics teachers’ methods of teaching, assessing students’ knowledge, and motivating students. The study was qualitative and based on the semi-structured interview method. Six mathematics teachers from general and language 180 grammar schools in Zagreb participated in the study (five women and one man ; age range: 32-62 years). The criterion of saturation (when descriptions of different participants began to repeat themselves), was used to establish the sample size. Participants' responses show that teachers most often use the method of direct frontal teaching, and that they usually assign homework, although some teachers do not regularly check students’ solutions and understanding of the assigned mathematical problems. Teachers try to encourage students to find ways to solve mathematical problems on their own, but some of teachers do it when they have enough time for it, and some as a primary way of working. As a rule, low students’ motivation and fear of mathematics are among the largest obstacles in teachers’ work, and according to our participants, most students do not understand material in-depth. When assessing students’ knowledge, all teachers use summative assessment, in which they score both the solution and the process of solving mathematical problems. They also use formative assessment through checking homework and asking questions in class to try to examine students’ understanding of the material. Overall, we can conclude that mathematics’ teachers in our sample usually manage to a lesser extent to encourage a deeper understanding of the material, connection with everyday life and integration of knowledge, due to low student motivation and excessive workload prescribed by the Ministry of Science and Education. These findings, in addition to shedding light on the reasons why students adopt inert knowledge and routine expertise rather than adaptive expertise, necessary for successful application of knowledge and development of mathematical literacy, help explain the findings of a broader set of studies on typical students’ errors in learning mathematics.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA