Exploring the factors influencing student problem posing in a mathematics classroom: PLS-SEM and fuzzy set...

Area of Science:

• Mathematics Education
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Problem posing is crucial for mathematical outcomes but understudied in secondary education.
• Existing research often focuses on problem-solving rather than problem posing.
• Understanding factors influencing problem posing is key to enhancing student engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore psychological and environmental factors influencing secondary students' willingness to pose mathematical problems.
• To identify predictors of behavioral intentions toward mathematical problem posing using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method approach involving 1582 secondary school students.
• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) were employed.
• Examined the predictive influence of mathematical beliefs, enjoyment, knowledge, self-efficacy, subjective norms, attitude, and anxiety.

Main Results:

• Mathematical beliefs, enjoyment, knowledge, self-efficacy, and subjective norms significantly influenced intention to pose problems.
• These factors collectively explained 66.8% of the variance in actual problem posing behavior.
• fsQCA revealed that problem posing behavior results from various combinations of influencing factors, not a single cause.

Conclusions:

• The Theory of Planned Behavior effectively explains intentions and behaviors in mathematical problem posing.
• Both psychological and environmental factors interact to shape student-initiated mathematical learning.
• Findings offer valuable insights for educators, schools, parents, and researchers to foster problem-posing skills.