Vilka faktorer påverkar elevers motivation till matematikämnet?

: sett utifrån ett lärarperspektiv

Abstract

There is a lot of international research on motivation, and what influences motivation such as parents, peers, teachers and teaching styles, but there is not much research done in the area in the Swedish school system. Furthermore, the previous research shows that performance in mathematics is improved by the students generating more positive feelings about the subject, which they receive from committed teachers, which in turn gives the students increased motivation and commitment. The purpose of our investigation was to gain increased knowledge about how teachers who teach mathematics in Swedish primary schools work to prevent and counteract students' lack of motivation and belief in themselves as mathematically competent. The questions in our survey were to investigate how teachers reason about students' motivation, how teachers prevent lack of motivation and how teachers describe that they adapt teaching so that students maintain or alternatively regain motivation. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with seven certified mathematics teachers. We recorded and transcribed the interviews and then analyzed them using thematic analysis. The results of the study showed that the majority of those interviewed described that common to all students is that once they are able to do things, motivation increases. All interviewees emphasized in different ways the importance of creating a good relationship with both students and guardians. Several interviewees expressed that
it is important to work with students' self-esteem and give them a belief in themselves. In summary, we can draw the following conclusions regarding teachers' reasoning regarding students' motivation, how teachers prevent a lack of motivation and how they maintain or alternatively regain students' motivation. Students' motivation increases when they feel competent. Good relationships are essential for student motivation. Teaching should have good structure, clear frameworks and variety to increase students' sense of competence. The content of the teaching should be adapted so that it takes place based on the students' interests and in a context they are familiar with. Special educational implications of the survey results are that students' motivation in the subject of mathematics benefits from them feeling competent and teachers' ability to create relationships and student-oriented teaching with good structure, clear frameworks and variety.

Date of Award	2023-Jun
Original language	Swedish
Supervisor	Sarah Rangstrand Hjort (Supervisor), Cecilia Segerby (Assessor) & Helena Sjunnesson (Examiner)