Comprehension of argumentation in mathematical text: what is the role of interest?

Abstract

This article describes the research design and findings from a use-inspired study of online text-based mathematics resources. We sought to understand whether and how existing mathematics interest, together with the learner characteristics of prior coursework in mathematics and proof scheme, influenced comprehension of mathematical argumentation and triggered interest in two types of mathematics text: (1) text featuring concrete, real-world applications (public domain) and (2) text with abstract and generalized modes of expression and content (abstract domain). Using an online assessment and person-centered analyses, we studied 64 (32 M, 32 F) undergraduate students who were and were not pursuing advanced mathematics coursework. Cluster analysis revealed two participant groups. Less mathematically immersed (LMI) participants improved comprehension of mathematical argumentation when working with public domain text, performing comparably to the more mathematically immersed (MMI) cluster in this domain; those in the MMI cluster performed comparably across text domains. In addition, LMI participants were more likely to identify public domain text as more interesting than abstract text, and they also were more likely than those in the MMI group to explain this by citing public rather than abstract domain reasons. Taken together, study findings suggest that interest in coordination with other learner characteristics scaffolds comprehension of mathematical argumentation. This study makes contributions to interest theory, understanding the role of interest in comprehension of mathematical argumentation, and ways in which practitioners might leverage student interest to promote comprehension.

Mathematical Argumentation in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review

“…It showed that in cluster 1, mathematical argumentation in higher education was closely related to mathematical proof and instructional design. Understandably, mathematical argumentation and proficiency in proof can be regarded as cognitive abilities based on accessible resources, a shift that often occurs when advancing through higher education (Renninger et al, 2023;Sommerhoff et al, 2021). Furthermore, the standard arrangement of mathematical lectures at the university level highlights the importance of proofs and proving (Cardetti & LeMay, 2018;Nagel et al, 2018).…”

“…The study conducted by Renninger et al (2023) introduced the assessment of mathematical comprehension (AMC), an interactive online assessment. In this study, the AMC was used to investigate undergraduate students' comprehension of mathematical argumentation concerning specific textual features and individual learner characteristics.…”

“…Furthermore, it would be beneficial to examine students' mathematical argumentation skills in connection with their working memory capacity and text comprehension abilities. Text that promotes the triggering and sustaining of interest can encourage learners to continue engaging with mathematics, support the development of more analytical proof schemes, and influence how learners position themselves to read and comprehend mathematical argumentation (Renninger et al, 2023).…”

Emotions and motivation in mathematics education: Where we are today and where we need to go

“…Other important motivational theories considered in the contributions were self-determination theory and Bandura's (2003) social-cognitive theory of self-efficacy, which were used simultaneously or separately in the contributions by Hettinger et al (2022), Rach (2022), Skilling and Stylianides (2022), and Zhang et al (2022). In other papers (Renninger et al, 2022;Seah, 2022;Skilling & Stylianides, 2022), researchers addressed Hidi and Renninger's (2006) theory of interest development, a cognitive engagement framework (Skilling & Stylianides, 2022), or a theory of well-being as value fulfilment (Tiberius, 2018) in the contribution by Seah (2022).…”

“…4.3 Contributions anchored in self-determination theory, interest theory, or well-being theory Renninger et al (2022) demonstrated that interest corresponds to and potentially scaffolds the comprehension of mathematical argumentation. Seah (2022) revealed that Chinese students valued perseverance for their mathematical well-being significantly more than other factors (e.g., mathematical engagement, relationships, or meaningfulness).…”