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

Problem posing is a vital skill in mathematics education that promotes student mathematical outcomes. However, its role in secondary education has been relatively understudied compared to problem-solving. This research addresses the gap by exploring factors that influence students' willingness to pose mathematical problems. The study aims to identify the psychological and environmental factors affecting secondary students' intentions to engage in problem posing, guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior. This investigation involved 1582 secondary school students. Using a mixed-method approach that includes structural equation modeling and Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we examined how students' mathematical beliefs, enjoyment of mathematics, mathematical knowledge, self-efficacy, subjective norms, attitude, and mathematics anxiety predict their behavioral intentions toward problem posing in the mathematics classroom. The findings show that students' mathematical beliefs, enjoyment, knowledge, self-efficacy, and subjective norms all have a significant influence on their intention to engage in problem posing. Together, these factors explain 66.8 % of the variance (R²) in students' actual problem posing behavior in the classroom. Insights from the fsQCA results reveal that student actual problem posing behavior is not determined by a singular factor but can be achieved from an amalgamation of these elements, where there are 4 configurations including presence and absence that can achieve the similar outcomes. These findings contribute theoretically by extending the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to the context of mathematical problem posing, highlighting how both psychological and environmental factors interact to shape student-initiated learning behaviors. The outcomes of this study provide valuable information not only for teachers but also for schools, parents, and other researchers.