Students' mathematical beliefs and motivation in the context of inquiry-based mathematics teaching

• Published in: International journal of mathematical education in science and technology Vol. 54; no. 8; pp. 1649 - 1663
• Main Authors: Pedersen, Ida Friestad, Haavold, Per Øystein
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis 14.09.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Active Learning; Age Differences; Beliefs; Correlation; Creativity; Education: 280; Elementary Secondary Education; Faculty Development; Fagdidaktikk: 283; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Inquiry; Inquiry method; Inquiry-based learning; Learning; Learning Activities; Learning Motivation; Likert Scales; Mathematics education; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Teachers; Motivation; Pedagogiske fag: 280; Positive Attitudes; Samfunnsvitenskap: 200; Secondary Schools; Social sciences: 200; Student Attitudes; Students; Subject didactics: 283; Teaching; Teaching Methods; VDP; Norway
• DOI: 10.1080/0020739X.2023.2189171
• ISSN: 0020-739X; 1464-5211

In this paper, we investigate the learning experiences, beliefs and motivations of students in classes where the mathematics teachers have received support for using inquiry-based learning activities. Data were collected from 248 students in the age-range 11-16 using electronic questionnaires. Our results show that key features of inquiry-based mathematics were only moderately reflected in these students' beliefs about the subject, their dispositions towards mathematics were less positive across the transition from primary to secondary school, and with respect to motivation this decline was stronger for girls than for boys. Furthermore, medium to strong correlations between belief- and motivation subdomains were found, for instance, students who view mathematics as a creative subject and/or have a growth mindset of mathematics also tend to find this subject enjoyable and perceive it as useful. Finally, our results indicate that inquiry-based teaching has a potential for fostering positive dispositions towards mathematics, as students who often experience inquiry-related activities in class also tend to see mathematics as a creative and interesting subject that will be useful for them in the future.