Students’ resistance to learning mathematics through investigations

ABSTRACT

This paper explores students’ resistance when they were expected by their teacher to start learning mathematics through investigations, a pedagogy that emphasizes an active and agentic approach to learning in contrast to the traditional transmission-based teaching to which they were accustomed. This resistance is investigated from the perspectives of six 14-year-old girls, in a Year 10 top set all-female class of 19 students, who continued to resist this pedagogical change throughout the scholastic year. Desiring to gain insights on the implementation of mathematical investigations with this class, the teacher decided at the start of the scholastic year to draw on qualitative case study methodology and to collect data from multiple sources. The phenomenon of student resistance was consequently explored using data from: (i) the teacher’s reflective journal; and (ii) students’ learning journals and interviews. Thematic analysis of the data suggests that students could continue resisting a new pedagogical approach should they perceive it to be in conflict with their expectations, feelings and aspirations. Suggestions follow on how pedagogies that run counter to students’ encultured ways of learning, such as investigations in this study, can be introduced in class in ways that are less likely to be resisted by students.

KEYWORDS:

• Active learning
• mathematical investigations
• pedagogical change
• student agency
• student resistance

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the students for taking part in this research. Due gratitude goes to Dr Colin Foster and Laura Formosa for their valuable comments provided on earlier drafts of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James Calleja

James Calleja, PhD, is lecturer in the professional learning and development of educators at the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. He coordinates the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management course and works with teachers and schools to support them in developing their continuing professional development (CPD) initiatives. He also leads the Collaborative Lesson Study Malta (CLeStuM) programme (www.clestum.eu) and is a fellow of the International Society for Design and Development in Education (ISDDE) and CollectivED. Before joining the University of Malta, James taught mathematics for 23 years, including 6 years as a Head of Department. His main research interests are CPD, mathematics education, teacher learning, task design, inquiry-based learning and lesson study. He has presented his research in a number of conferences both locally and internationally and has also published his research in local and international peer-reviewed journals.

Michael A. Buhagiar

Michael A. Buhagiar, PhD, is a senior lecturer in mathematics education at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Faculty of Education, University of Malta. His main lecturing and research area is educational assessment, especially in relation to the mathematics classroom. His other research interests include reflective practice, inquiry-based learning, teacher education and lesson study. Apart from his varied publications, Dr Buhagiar has participated in a number of international research projects. He is also a team member of the Collaborative Lesson Study Malta (CLeStuM) research programme. Before joining the Faculty in 2008, he was a class teacher in a primary school and later taught mathematics at secondary and post-secondary levels.