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

本项目测试儿童发展的理论模型，检验幼儿教师干预与儿童数学学习的关系。具体而言，该项目研究了一个两步因果模型，该模型检验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。掌握动机是儿童对完成中等挑战性任务的独立坚持，这既是一个关键的个体差异变量，也是一个可塑因素。该项目的中心假设是教师专业发展干预(1)向教师展示如何提出具有挑战性的数学活动；(2)支持教师在脚手架上掌握动机（坚持）；(3)教师学习观念的改变会影响幼儿的掌握动机和数学学习。样本包括大约60名学前教师和600名来自启智中心的低收入儿童。该研究有助于了解影响学龄前儿童成功参与小学数学共同核心州标准（CCSSM）中所阐述的小学数学准备的可塑课堂因素。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）则完全不同，它针对的是儿童在不同内容领域和不同年级应该培养的数学思维和思维习惯。SMP1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孩子来说，满足CCSSM增加的期望将是特别困难的。研究表明，早期的数学理解可以显著地预测学校的成绩，而低收入家庭的孩子的成绩要比其他家庭的孩子低得多。理解掌握动机，或坚持具有挑战性的任务的能力，是CCSSM强调的一种思维习惯，也是一种关键的入学准备技能，可以鼓励教师调整他们的教学实践，以促进儿童这方面的发展。通常，学前教师不教数学，而且常常对如何以一种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，并向教师传授培养毅力的技能，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。这些游戏改编自Think Math！©2008 EDC开发的小学数学课程，让孩子们在游戏中解决问题、迷惑和讨论策略。本研究扩展了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因素对于正在考虑如何帮助有风险的学龄前儿童的数学发展的实践者和决策者是重要的。本研究探讨了掌握动机作为数学学习的基础，同时掌握动机也与一般的学业和学校成功指标有关；因此，研究结果在该领域引起了更广泛的兴趣。此外，结果可能表明，加强学前教育教学实践的干预措施将是一项重要的调查，在缩小低收入儿童的入学准备差距方面可能具有特别的价值，并更好地为所有儿童做好准备，以满足CCSSM增加的期望。

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.