Abstract
Nowadays it is widely accepted that mathematics and, especially, problemsolving tasks, are particularly concerned by the issue of emotions. Yet, educational interventions designed to improve students’ problem-solving competence and performance still mainly focus on cognitive and metacognitive knowledge and skills. The main purpose of this study was to design and assess the benefit of a training program that promotes the development of not only cognitive but also emotional knowledge and skills. This benefit was assessed using four variables, namely, problem-solving performance, problem-solving competence, academic emotions and emotion regulation strategies. 428 fifth and sixth graders took part in the study, split into four conditions: 1) a “cognition” condition which received an intervention on an eight-step problemsolving process; 2) an “emotion” condition in which emotional knowledge and skills were developed through various activities; 3) an “emotion and cognition” condition overlapping the two previous ones, and 4) a “control” condition. The findings showed that the “emotion and cognition” condition and the “cognition” condition had equivalent cognitive efficiency. However, only the former reduced negative emotions, aroused the emergence of positive ones, promoted the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies and discouraged the use of maladaptive ones. The practical implications for educational practices and possible avenues for further research are discussed.
Highlights
Students’ poor grades in mathematical problem-solving have preoccupied researchers for several decades (e.g., Blum, 2011; De Corte & Verschaffel, 2008; Demonty & Fagnant, 2014; Hanin & Van Nieuwenhoven, 2016a; Mevarech & Kramarski, 1997; Polya, 1957; Schoenfeld, 1992; Verschaffel, De Corte, Lasure, Van Vaerenbergh, Bogaerts, & Ratinckx, 1999)
The main purpose of this study was to design and assess the benefit of a training program that promotes the development of cognitive and emotional knowledge and skills. This benefit was assessed using four variables, namely, problem-solving performance, problem-solving competence, academic emotions and emotion regulation strategies. 428 fifth and sixth graders took part in the study, split into four conditions: 1) a “cognition” condition which received an intervention on an eight-step problemsolving process; 2) an “emotion” condition in which emotional knowledge and skills were developed through various activities; 3) an “emotion and cognition” condition overlapping the two previous ones, and 4) a “control” condition
We focused on the down-regulation of negative emotions through six strategies used by upper-elementary students to regulate their negative emotions during problemsolving tasks: task utility self-persuasion, help-seeking, brief attentional relaxation, emotion expression, negative self-talk and dysfunctional avoidance (Hanin, Grégoire, Mikolajczak, Fantini-Hauwel, & Van Nieuwenhoven, 2017)
Summary
Students’ poor grades in mathematical problem-solving have preoccupied researchers for several decades (e.g., Blum, 2011; De Corte & Verschaffel, 2008; Demonty & Fagnant, 2014; Hanin & Van Nieuwenhoven, 2016a; Mevarech & Kramarski, 1997; Polya, 1957; Schoenfeld, 1992; Verschaffel, De Corte, Lasure, Van Vaerenbergh, Bogaerts, & Ratinckx, 1999). Studies have shown that mathematics and, especially, problem-solving tasks, are concerned by the issue of emotions (Ahmed, van der Werf, Kuyper, & Minnaert, 2013; Kim & Hodges, 2012; Op’t Eynde, De Corte, & Mercken, 2004). These findings have led to a reconceptualization of what expertise in mathematical problem solving requires. Just as the acquisition of cognitive and self-regulative skills does not occur spontaneously or automatically, the individual is not naturally endowed with emotional knowledge and skills These latter need to be fostered and taught at school (Goetz, Frenzel, Pekrun, & Hall, 2005; Kim & Hodges, 2012). Since emotions are domain specific (e.g., Goetz, Frenzel, Pekrun, Hall, & Lüdtke, 2007; Goetz, Pekrun, Hall, & Haag, 2006), this apprenticeship has to be disciplinarily situated as well
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