Students’ motivation and achievement in journal writing

Abstract

This dissertation documents the planning and implementation of a mathematics journal writing task and the correlations between student motivation and achievement before and after the task. A single group pre-task-post-task design was used. 23 participants from the Secondary one cohort of an independent all-girls school were given a survey on their motivation in mathematics prior to doing the task. After they submitted the task, they were given the same survey.<br><br>Data analysis showed positive correlations between total task score and pre-task self-efficacy, mastery goal orientation, interest and enjoyment and test anxiety and post-task self-efficacy, task value, mastery goal orientation, interest and enjoyment and test anxiety. There were negative correlations between total task score and pre-task task value, work avoidance and avoidance coping and post-task work avoidance and avoidance coping. There was a strong positive correlation between task score and post- minus pre-task self-efficacy. T-test results showed that there was a significant decrease in self-efficacy (p = .06) and interest and enjoyment (p = .03) of the participants after they completed the task.<br><br>Sample cases of the two highest and two lowest scorers were analysed in detail with the students’ work. Students 1 and 2 were the low scorers and Students 3 and 4 were the high scorers. Results showed that there was a decrease in self-efficacy for both Student 1 and 2 after they did the task. There was an increase in task value and interest and enjoyment for Students 3 and 4 after they did the task. Details of these four students’ pre- and post-task self-efficacy, task value, mastery goal orientation, work avoidance, interest and enjoyment, test anxiety and avoidance coping are presented in the dissertation.<br><br>Limitations of the study and future recommendations for educators looking to design and implement journal writing assessment tasks for mathematics are discussed.