Target audience: Researchers and educators interested in advancing work on students' mathematics self-beliefs and confidences and .

Number of participants: Up to forty.

Outcome for participants: Opportunity to advance terminology in this field, enhance accessibility, and thereby increase it's effects on practice, and enhancing understanding of the nature of mathematics confidences and self-concepts.

Abstract:

This Workshop provides an opportunity for researchers interested in mathematics self-concepts, confidences, self-efficacies and related attitudes, to advance research in the field by to coming together to examine current terminology and research instruments with a view to clarifying language and resolving inconsistencies.

It is important to note that no ICME Topic Study Group of Discussion Group specifically addresses this important key area of mathematics education in 2008. Let us make an opportunity!

The current lack of coherence in the literature hinders researchers, and makes findings difficult to interpret and compare. Yet research in the area is vital. Mathematics attitudes and self-concepts play important roles in the learning choices students make, their learning behaviours, and their performance. And there have been few attempts to clarify the role of mathematics self-concepts and attitudes in learning. Reviewing literature in the field of affect in mathematics education, Leder and Grootenboer (2005) found ‘few studies in which the difficult task was attempted of exploring the relationship between affect and a range of other important factors including cognition, learning and achievement.’.

Some researchers explore students’ attitudes via case studies and journal entries, but few have accepted the challenge of quantifying affective factors, exploring relationships with learning approaches and progress, and monitoring changes. Theories not yet well-developed, terminology used differently, even ambiguously, and varying research instruments, some untested, make interpretation of the literature difficult, and leave researchers open to criticism. Research outcomes have also been variable. Correlations between affective factors and performance vary widely. Leder and Grootenboer described ‘tantalizing’ findings and ‘provocative glimpses’ of the interaction between affect, teaching and learning.

This workshop will bring together interested parties to try to move this important and neglected field forward, partly because there is no Study Topic Group or Discussion Group that specifically addresses affective issues.

To stimulate this effort and serve as a starting point, as a passionate and long-term researcher in the field, I will offer my analysis of some key terminology and the instruments of four research teams who represent a wide range of current expertise in the field, make proposals re the terminology and for research instruments. But most importantly, this workshop will invite debate. The views of those present will be written up, checked and verified with the group, and then disseminated widely via appropriate forums.