Affect In Mathematics Education--Exploring Theoretical Frameworks. Research Forum (original) (raw)

Topic Study Group No. 28: Affect, Beliefs and Identity in Mathematics Education

Proceedings of the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, 2017

The Topic Study Group 28 was aimed at addressing all areas of affect, including attitude, anxiety, beliefs, meaning, self-concept, emotion, interest, motivation, needs, goals, identity, norms, values. The different approaches to study affect included psychological, social, and philosophical research perspectives. Moreover, the call for papers explicitly questioned the issue of the mutual relationship between affective constructs and their connection to cognition and other constructs studied in mathematics education, as well as the description of programs for promoting aspects of affect. The activity of the working group was aimed at:

On the importance of affective dimensions of mathematics education

In one of his latest articles, Fortus (2014), points out that "when one considers the centrality of affect to teaching and learning and the broad range of topics that are related to affect, it is concerning that it has received relatively so little attention" (Żortus 2014, p. 821). In order to support his position, he provides an overview of the research on affect in science education that has been published in several journals (JRST, SciEd, and IJSE) between 2001 and 2011. The author also hypothesizes why affect has been under-attended to by the science education research community so far. And the conclusion he arrives at is that affect remains in the shadow of researchers' attention partly due to the existing "international trend towards standardization of schooling and high-stakes testing" (p. 822). The main purpose of this article is to emphasize that affect does play an important role also in learning mathematics and for this reason it should be considered as one of the core dimensions of mathematics education. The first part of this article provides examples of two phenomena: math anxiety and the underachievement syndrome in learning mathematics, where affective determinants are unquestionable. Subsequently, we shift the focus from these particular issues to the general description of what affect is, what meaningful concepts it contributes in the field of research on mathematics education, and how the research community can benefit from the approach it promotes. Finally, we present some new directions for researchers and teachers that may result in an increase of the quality and efficiency of both teaching and learning mathematics.

Exploring new dimensions of mathematics-related affect: embodied and social theories

Research in Mathematics Education, 2012

This paper will review theoretical approaches for research on mathematics-related affect from the 1990s until today. In order to organise this field, a metatheory of the affective domain is developed, based on distinctions along three dimensions: 1) cognitive, motivational and emotional aspects of affect; 2) rapidly changing affective states versus relatively stable affective traits; and 3) the social, psychological and physiological nature of affect. Using ideas from enactivism and other system theories, the third dimension is elaborated. The embodied perspective brings forth on the one hand the evolutionary basis of human affect, and on the other the individual developmental perspective. Classroom microculture and cross-cutting social variables (e.g., gender and ethnicity) are identified as two different ways of theorising the social dimension of mathematics-related affect.

AFFECT IN MATHEMATICAL THINKING AND LEARNING

Affect has been studied from different perspectives: as subjective experience, as physiological process and as social communication. In mathematics education the main concepts that have been used are emotion, attitude, beliefs, values, and motivation. The aim of this research has been to increase the coherence of the theoretical foundation for the role of affect in mathematical thinking and learning. A special emphasis has been placed on understanding the dynamic aspects of affect: how affect influences the different learning processes and how different experiences influence the development of affect. The theoretical background of the analyses is based on cognition, emotion, and motivation, which are seen within a framework of self-regulation. Cognition is seen to be connectionist and embodied, motivation is conceptualised as a structure of needs and goals, and emotion is seen to have three readouts: physiology, subjective experience and expressive behaviour. The approach acknowledges the importance of unconscious regulation and the existence of multiple regulative mechanisms. The thesis is a combination of theoretical and empirical work. The empirical work is based on a qualitative longitudinal study in two classrooms. The main results of this work are the following: 1) A conceptualisation of the metalevel of affect-cognition interaction (metacognition, emotional cognition, cognitive emotion, and metaemotion). 2) A critical reconceptualisation of the concept attitude, which is seen as an amalgam of several evaluative processes: situational emotions, automated emotions, expected outcomes, and the value of the relevant goals. 3) Identification of cognitive intimacy – a kind of shared ‘flow’ – as an important aspect of the social dimension of affect in learning. 4) Elaboration of the use of fiction writing as a method of analysis and reporting in qualitative studies. Key words: mathematics, affect, emotion, attitude, beliefs, motivation, meta-affect, fiction writing.

Affective Aspects on Mathematics Conceptualization: From Dichotomies to an Integrated Approach

International Group For the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2003

Jorge Tarcísio da Rocha Falcão (4) Jorge Costa do Nascimento (5) Mônica Maria Lins Lessa (6) The present paper aims to propose a theoretical reflection in order to overcome a strong tradition in psychology concerning the analysis of cognition and affectivity as dichotomic processes explaining human behaviours. A general theory of the human subject is presented to discussion, followed by the proposition of a new unit of analysis for the study of mathematical activity, integrating affectivity and cognition. The choice of such a unit of analysis takes into account the specificity of conceptualization and learning in mathematics, the interest of pre-conceptual competencies-inaction , and the need of studying culturally meaningful situations. This theoretical effort is considered especially relevant for increasing the contribution of psychology of mathematics education in the research context of mathematics education.

The affective dimension of learning and teaching mathematics and science

Learning scientific and mathematics concepts is more than a cognitive process. Learning and teaching is highly charged with feeling. Nevertheless, in schools and universities, science and mathematics is for the most part portrayed as a rational, analytical, and non-emotive area of the curriculum, and teachers, texts and curricular documents commonly present images of science and mathematics that embody a sense of emotional aloofness.

The Affective Domain and Mathematics Education

This chapter examines Australasian research in the affective domain. While this domain during this review period has continued to be dominated by a focus on beliefs, there is more research emerging in the areas of self-concept, identity, motivation, and engagement. There remains however a lack of theorising in aspects of the domain. Methodologically, while there has been an increase in mixed methods studies, there has been little change since the last review. With some exceptions, only a limited range of methodological instruments has been used. Data is still primarily self-reported rather than observational and this issue remains an aspect to be addressed in future research.