Instructional Tasks of High-Cognitive Demands Improve Affective Attitudes Toward Learning Mathematics in Chinese Fifth-Grade Students

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Abstract

The study investigated the relationships between three cognitive features of mathematics instructional tasks (high-cognitive demand, multiple representations and multiple solution methods) and students’ learning outcomes in 32 Chinese fifth-grade classrooms. The measures at two data points over 18 months were analyzed of the cognitive (calculation, routine problem solving, and non-routine problem solving) and affective outcomes (expressed interest in learning mathematics, classroom participation, views of mathematics, and views of learning mathematics). High-cognitive demand tasks did not show a direct positive influence on the students’ cognitive learning outcomes. Instead, the high-cognitive demand tasks exerted a positive effect on the four affective learning outcomes even though the students’ expressed interest in learning mathematics in general was declined at the end of 18 months.

Authors

• Yujing Ni, Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Jinfa Cai, University of Delaware

• Dehui Zhou, Hong Kong Shue Yan University