Description and evaluation of a large-scale project to facilitate student engagement in learning mathematics

Abstract

Responding to students’ performance in TIMSS and PISA in East Asian countries/regions – low interests, low confidence, not seeing the value of mathematics, and high-achieving performance in average but a substantial percentage of “lowest performers”– a project JUST DO MATH has been launched in Taiwan. The themes of the project included developing students’ fundamental prerequisite mathematical ideas before regular classes, employing concrete manipulative representations as a starter for learning, and embedding learning activities in games. The design and implementation of the project involved the development of grounding activity modules and facilitation of professional development of mathematics teachers to implement instruction according to modules to engage students in learning mathematics. The findings – confirming the project significantly facilitated students’ cognitive and affective engagement in learning mathematics – can inform the government regarding educational reform and can suggest teachers and educators feasible instructional approaches to facilitate student engagement in East Asian countries/regions.