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Factors that promote interest and engagement in learning mathematics for low-achieving primary students across three learning settings

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Abstract

This study explored the mathematics engagement of Australian primary students who currently struggle with mathematics learning and who participated in an intervention program. The research aimed to identify the elements that facilitated their engagement across three learning settings that they experienced concurrently: their Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) intervention lessons, classroom mathematics lessons, and home mathematics learning. A model of mathematics engagement comprising facilitators, indicators, and consequences of engagement was used to guide the data analysis process. By examining variation in results for these three categories of engagement, we draw tentative conclusions about how the settings contribute to the students’ motivation to learn mathematics and their interest and engagement. The findings identified several key facilitators of mathematics engagement for students who struggle with mathematics. These included tasks and mathematical games, using number lines to represent whole numbers, and being offered a range of mathematics content beyond the number domain. Also important was the social aspect of learning including having supportive family members, peers, and teachers during mathematics learning activities, working with others, and being helped. Each of the three settings explored through the study differed with respect to the factors that most promoted the students’ interest and engagement. The findings provide teachers and researchers with a deeper understanding of the contextual features that facilitate engagement for students who currently struggle with learning mathematics. These facilitators of engagement can assist teachers to design more effective classroom practices and small group interventions, as well as help families to support their children’s mathematics learning.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the important contribution and support of the EMU specialist teachers, school communities, EMU professional learning leaders and education systems that implement the EMU intervention program.

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  1. Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Anne Roche, Ann Gervasoni & Penelope Kalogeropoulos

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  1. Anne Roche
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Correspondence to Anne Roche.

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Monash University – HREC Approval – Project Number 0171 (Project: Extending Mathematical Understanding (EMU) for All Research Program)

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The data analysed for this research was the Affective pre and post-EMU assessments used and analysed by teachers as part of their EMU intervention programs. The research team was granted access to each participating education system's assessment data, in alignment with ethics approval from Monash University and the participating education systems.

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Roche, A., Gervasoni, A. & Kalogeropoulos, P. Factors that promote interest and engagement in learning mathematics for low-achieving primary students across three learning settings. Math Ed Res J 35, 525–556 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-021-00402-w

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