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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2096531120930726
Article Information
Article first published online: August 4, 2020
Received: December 17, 2019; Accepted: May 09, 2020
Author
JeongSuk Pang
Korea National University of Education
Wee Tiong Seah
The University of Melbourne
Abstract
Purpose: Given the unclear relationship between cognition and affect, this article reports on a study exploring how the volitional variable of values may provide some explanation for students with excellent performance despite a negative attitude toward mathematics.
Design/Approach/Methods: It is part of an international “What I Find Important (in my mathematics learning)” [WIFI] study, which assesses the attributes of mathematics learning and teaching that are valued by students. The participants of this study were a total of 816 Korean students who responded to the WIFI questionnaire.
Findings: The results of principal component analysis indicated that the following five attributes about mathematics and mathematics pedagogy were valued by Korean students: understanding, connections, fun, accuracy, and efficiency. These attributes were further analyzed with relation to student gender, school system, and student confidence.
Originality/Value: Korean students’ valuing of understanding and connections is noteworthy. It is hoped that the findings of this study might explain Korean students’ exceptional performance despite a generally low affective mode, and extending this further, how values in mathematics education might be a useful construct to help us make sense of the observed mismatch beyond Korea and more globally.
Keywords
Connections, Korean students, student values, understanding, values and valuing