Year 7 students learning mathematics in different teaching scenarios : a comparative study

Abstract

This qualitative case study drew on action research methodology and used constructivism as a theoretical framework. It involved the design of a mathematics programme for a Numeracy class which entailed one extra mathematics lesson a week for a group of low-achieving,Year 7 students attending a Church school in Malta. The programme drew upon the principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and aimed at improving the participation, motivation, engagement and learning of mathematics during Numeracy lessons. The Numeracy class lessons required students to work collaboratively and to take on an active role in the learning process. Whole class discussions also featured in every lesson. This research took a comparative stance, as students’ perceptions and behaviours with regard to mathematics were observed in regular classrooms and in the Numeracy class. Although the participants of this study were the ten female students in the Numeracy class, important insights were also obtained from interactions with the two regular mathematics teachers and the Learning Support Educators (LSEs), and from reflections by the researcher, who was also the Numeracy class teacher. The study was carried out during the 2018 – 2019 scholastic year, with data being collected between the months of January and April over a thirteen-week period. The main data sources, which came from both the regular mathematics classes and the Numeracy class, included classroom observations, a reflective journal, a student questionnaire, semi-structured student interviews, informal conversations with the regular mathematics teachers and LSEs, student feedback sheets, the Numeracy class programme and students’ work. The research findings indicate that by drawing upon the principles of inquiry, students engaged in a collaborative learning environment through which they developed deeper reasoning processes and more autonomy in the learning of mathematics. This was particularly evident in lessons which drew more strongly on IBL approaches.