Journal for Research in Mathematics Education · 1991 · 43 citations · 0 references
EducationInstructionMathematics EducationElementary Mathematics EducationMathematics InstructionSecondary Mathematics EducationMathematics PedagogyProblem-solving AssessmentProblem-solving StrategiesProject-based AssessmentProject-based CurriculumStudent Achievement AnalysisAchievement Test DesignCollaborative Learning In MathematicsCollaborative Mathematics LearningMathematics Teacher BeliefsPersonal GoalsProject-based Mathematics LearningStandardized Test ScoresStudent Thinking In Mathematics
A year‑long project was implemented in ten second‑grade classes, aligning instruction with socioconstructivist theory and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recommendations. The project classes were compared to eight nonproject classes using a standardized achievement test and measures of computational proficiency, conceptual development, personal goals, and beliefs about success. Project students performed comparably on computational tasks but used different algorithms, demonstrated higher conceptual understanding, valued understanding and collaboration more, and held fewer competitive or extrinsic beliefs, while project teachers’ pedagogical beliefs aligned more closely with socioconstructivist principles.
Ten second-grade classes participated in a year-long project in which instruction was generally compatible with a socioconstructivist theory of knowledge and recent recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. At the end of the school year, the 10 project classes were compared with 8 nonproject classes on a standardized achievement test and on instruments designed to assess students' computational proficiency and conceptual development in arithmetic, their personal goals in mathematics, and their beliefs about reasons for success in mathematics. The levels of computational performance were comparable, but there were qualitative differences in arithmetical algorithms used by students in the two groups. Project students had higher levels of conceptual understanding in mathematics; held stronger beliefs about the importance of understanding and collaborating; and attributed less importance to conforming to the solution methods of others, competitiveness, and task-extrinsic reasons for success. Responses to a questionnaire on pedagogical beliefs indicated that the project teachers' beliefs were more compatible with a socioconstructivist perspective than were those of their nonproject colleagues.