Scaffolding Mastery Motivation: Testing a Theoretical Model of Teacher Practice and Preschoolers' Mathematics Learning

本研究旨在探讨幼儿发展的理论模式，探讨幼儿教师介入对幼儿数学学习的影响。具体来说，该项目研究了一个两步因果模型，该模型考察了儿童入学准备技能的一个方面“掌握动机”，作为教师实践对儿童数学学习的中介变量。掌握动机是指儿童独立坚持完成中等难度任务的能力，它既是一个重要的个体差异变量，也是一个可塑性因素。该项目的中心假设是，教师专业发展干预，（1）显示教师如何提出具有挑战性的数学活动;（2）支持教师在脚手架掌握动机（持久性）;（3）改变教师的学习信念将影响儿童的掌握动机和数学学习。样本包括大约60名学前教师和600名低收入儿童在开端中心。这项研究有助于了解可塑性的课堂因素，影响有风险的学龄前儿童的准备成功地从事小学数学的共同核心国家数学标准（CCSSM）中所阐述的。CCSSM为小学生定义了一套具有挑战性的期望。内容标准描述了每个年级学生应该知道和理解的数学内容。数学实践标准（SMP）是完全不同的，解决了数学思维和思维习惯，孩子们应该跨内容领域和跨年级发展。SMP 1与掌握动机直接相关：理解问题并坚持解决问题。然而，对于那些进入幼儿园准备不足的儿童来说，满足CCSSM提高的期望将特别困难。研究表明，早期的数学理解能力可以显著预测学校成绩，而来自低收入家庭的儿童的成绩要比其他人低得多。理解掌握的动机，或坚持在具有挑战性的任务的能力，是一种习惯的思维，强调CCSSM和关键的入学准备技能，可以鼓励教师调整他们的教学实践，以促进这方面的儿童的发展。通常情况下，幼儿园教师不教数学，并且经常对如何以适合发展的方式教数学感到不舒服。通过向教师展示如何与儿童玩具有挑战性的数学游戏，并为教师提供支架坚持的技能，该项目为以有趣，适当和具有挑战性的方式教授数学提供了支持。游戏改编自幼儿园的活动，在思考数学！©2008小学数学课程开发在EDC和从事儿童解决问题，困惑，并讨论他们玩的策略。这项工作扩展了STEM学习的研究基础，将发展心理学的两个理论框架：掌握动机和学习信念整合到数学教育研究中。了解影响儿童学习的可塑性因素对于正在考虑如何帮助有风险的学龄前儿童数学发展的从业者和政策制定者来说非常重要。虽然这项研究调查掌握动机作为数学学习的基础，掌握动机也与一般的学术和学校的成功指标，因此，结果是更广泛的兴趣领域。此外，研究结果可能表明，加强学前教育实践的干预措施将是一项重要的调查，在缩小低收入儿童入学准备差距方面可能具有特别价值，并使所有儿童更好地满足CCSSM的期望。

This project testing a theoretical model of child development that examines the relation of a preschool teacher intervention to children's mathematics learning. Specifically, the project investigates a two-step causal model that examines one aspect of children's school readiness skills "mastery motivation" as a mediating variable of teacher practice to children's mathematics learning. Mastery motivation is a child's independent persistence to accomplish moderately challenging tasks, which has been found to be both a key individual difference variable and a malleable factor. The project's central hypothesis is that a teacher professional development intervention that (1) shows teachers how to pose challenging mathematics activities; (2) supports teachers in scaffolding mastery motivation (persistence); and (3) changes teachers' beliefs about learning will influence children's mastery motivation and mathematics learning. The sample includes approximately 60 preschool teachers and 600 low-income children in Head Start centers. The study contributes to knowledge about the malleable classroom factors that influence at-risk preschool children's readiness to engage successfully in elementary mathematics as articulated in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). The CCSSM define a challenging set of expectations for elementary students. The Content Standards delineate for each grade the mathematical content students are expected to know and understand. The Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) are quite different, addressing the mathematical thinking and habits of mind that children should develop across content areas and across grade levels. SMP1 directly relates to mastery motivation: to make sense of problems and to persevere in solving them. However, meeting the increased expectations of the CCSSM will be particularly difficult for children who enter kindergarten underprepared. Research has shown that early mathematics understanding significantly predicts school achievement, and children from low-income backgrounds achieve at a much lower level than others. Understanding that mastery motivation, or the ability to persist at challenging tasks, is a habit of mind emphasized by CCSSM and a key school readiness skill may encourage teachers to adapt their instructional practices to promote this aspect of children's development. Typically, preschool teachers do not teach mathematics and often feel uncomfortable with how to do so in a developmentally appropriate way. By showing teachers how to play challenging mathematics games with children and giving teachers skills to scaffold persistence, this project provides support for teaching mathematics in a fun, appropriate, and challenging way. The games are adapted from the kindergarten activities in the Think Math!©2008 elementary mathematics curriculum developed at EDC and engage children in problem-solving, puzzling, and discussing strategies as they play. This work expands the research foundation in STEM learning, integrating two theoretical frameworks from developmental psychology: mastery motivation and beliefs about learning into mathematics education research. Understanding the malleable factors that influence children's learning is important for practitioners and policymakers who are considering ways to help at-risk preschoolers' mathematics development. While this study investigates mastery motivation as a foundation for mathematics learning, mastery motivation is also related to general academic and school success indicators; therefore, the results are of even broader interest in the field. Moreover, the results may suggest that interventions that enhance instructional practices in preschool would be an important line of investigation, could be of particular value in closing the school readiness gap for low-income children, and better prepare all children to meet the increased expectations of the CCSSM.