Identification and assessment of Taiwanese children’s conceptions of learning mathematics

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to identify children’s conceptions of learning mathematics and to assess the identified conceptions. Children’s conceptions are identified by interviewing 73 grade 5 students in Taiwan. The interviews are analyzed using qualitative data analysis methods, which results in a structure of 5 major conceptions, each having 2 subconceptions: constructivist (interest and understanding), interpretivist (liberty and innovation), objectivist (academic goal and perseverance), nativist (confidence and anxiety (reverse)), and pragmatist (vocational goal and application). The conceptions are assessed with a self-developed questionnaire, titled “the Conception of Learning Mathematics Questionnaire” (CLMQ), which is administered to 513 grade 5 students in Taiwan and examined with a reliability measure, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlations with 2 criteria: mathematics achievement and approaches to learning mathematics. The results show that the CLMQ has desirable internal consistency reliability and construct validity. The conceptions are also sensibly in relation to the 2 criteria, suggesting that the CLMQ is a valid measure for evaluating the quality of children’s learning mathematics in relation to teaching contexts.