The Influence on Student’s Mathematics Learning Anxiety and Problem Solving Process under Inquiry-based Instruction

• Main Author: 王雅玲
• Other Authors: 秦爾聰
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/94801325058327245251

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 科學教育研究所 === 96 === The Influence on Student’s Mathematics Learning Anxiety and Problem Solving Process under Inquiry-based Instruction Ya-Ling Wang ABSTRACT This study is an action research on investigating the influence of implementing inquiry-based teaching on students’ mathematics learning anxieties and problem solving processes. The research subjects are two classes of thirty-two and thirty-four 1st graders in a village junior high school in Chiayi County. The data collection consists of qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data include classroom observation videos and teacher’s diaries for recording the teaching activity’s implementing and teacher’s reflection, as well as student’s worksheets and records of interviews. The quantitative data include student’s responses to the “Mathematics Learning Anxiety Questionnaire” for the pre-test, mid-test, and post-test, which are analyzed by SPSS12.0. The main results are as follows. First, inquiry-based teaching can help students cultivate confidence in learning mathematics. The evidence can be found from the data of “Mathematics Learning Anxiety Questionnaire” and the follow-up interviews, which show that most students have confidence in learning mathematics well after implementing inquiry-based teaching. Second, inquiry-based teaching can appease mathematics learning anxiety. In the pre-test of “Mathematics Learning Anxiety Questionnaire”, it indicates that students have middle level mathematics anxiety. However, after the mid-test, student’s anxiety has lessened. There are significant differences showing that inquiry-based teaching lessens students’ mathematics learning anxiety after having repeated-measures analysis of variance of the data of the pre-test, mid-test, and post-test. Third, inquired-based teaching affects student’s problem solving approaches. High mathematical achievers have different kinds of problem solving approaches. They can use algebraic pattern or heuristic thinking to solve problems and even verify the correctness of answers backwards. On the other hand, middle and low mathematical achievers think more concretely. Their problem solving approaches are mostly developed through observing other students’ ideas in the inquiry-based teaching activities. Fourth, mathematics learning anxiety and mathematics achievement are negatively correlated. Last, implementing inquiry-based teaching continuously will stand out the advantages of it. According to the findings of this study, the researcher offers some suggestions for the design of teaching activities and future studies to those who are interested in inquiry-based teaching.