Development, testing, and application of a mathematics learning scale of self-direction

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Curriculum Development
• Mathematics Education

Background:

• Global curriculum reforms emphasize self-directed learning (SDL) for societal and environmental needs.
• Taiwan's 2018 12-year basic education reform explicitly includes SDL.
• A need exists for specialized instruments to assess SDL in specific subjects like mathematics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a Mathematics Self-Directed Learning Scale (MSDLS) for Taiwanese junior high students.
• To investigate the impact of the curriculum reform on students' SDL in mathematics.
• To examine gender and grade-level differences in mathematics SDL.

Main Methods:

• Development of the 50-item MSDLS with four sub-scales.
• Assessment of the scale's reliability, validity, and measurement invariance.
• Online administration to 5,575 junior high students, with 5,456 valid responses analyzed.

Main Results:

• The MSDLS demonstrated acceptable reliability, validity, and measurement invariance.
• Significant gender differences were found, with male students scoring higher in several factors.
• Mathematics SDL did not show a positive correlation with grade level among students.

Conclusions:

• The MSDLS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing mathematics SDL in secondary education.
• The findings underscore the need to address gender disparities in mathematics SDL.
• The lack of grade-level improvement suggests potential issues in fostering continuous SDL in mathematics.