The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review of the literature on ‘productive struggle’ in mathematics education. The review aimed to quantify the breadth and depth of existing research on this concept, address gaps in understanding its operationalization and implementation, and explore its potential to foster equity in mathematics learning. Specifically, the study sought to assess how productive struggle supports learning by examining its connections to attribution, metacognition, and controlled frustration.
The Importance of Productive Struggle
The study emphasizes that most research on productive struggle in mathematics education has concentrated on in-service and pre-service teachers rather than students. This is significant because understanding how students experience productive struggle is essential for improving learning outcomes and effectively operationalizing the concept in classroom settings.
Despite the growing body of literature, only 4 out of 45 studies explicitly addressed equity in mathematics education. This highlights a substantial gap in understanding how productive struggle can be leveraged to foster inclusive and equitable learning environments—an important area for further investigation.
The Focus Needs to Be on the Student Experience of Productive Struggle
The study was conducted as a scoping review, systematically searching databases like Google Scholar and EBSCO for peer-reviewed literature on productive struggle in mathematics education from 2011 to 2020. After screening 76 initial records, 45 studies were included and categorized by methodology, participant type, grade level, and connections to cognitive constructs such as attribution, metacognition, and frustration. This process revealed gaps, including limited student-focused research and inconsistent operationalization of productive struggle.
The review found that while research on productive struggle in mathematics education has expanded, it remains shallow in several key areas. Most studies focused on in-service and pre-service teachers rather than students, limiting insights into how students experience and benefit from productive struggle. Additionally, there was inconsistency in how productive struggle was defined and applied, with many studies relying on qualitative or non-empirical methods. Few studies addressed equity in mathematics education, underscoring a critical gap in understanding how productive struggle can foster inclusivity. Overall, the study stressed the need for more rigorous, student-focused, and equity-centered research to improve the effective implementation of productive struggle in classrooms.
The Relationship Between Attribution, Metacognition, and Frustration Is Critical for Productive Struggle
The absence of a clear, consistent definition and operationalization of productive struggle complicates efforts to measure and compare its effects across studies. Developing robust frameworks for its implementation is essential to advancing research and practice.
While many studies focus on teachers, understanding students’ perspectives and experiences with productive struggle is crucial to fully realizing its potential to improve learning outcomes.
There is a notable gap in research on how productive struggle can promote equity in mathematics education. This highlights the need for studies that prioritize diverse and inclusive classroom practices, ensuring all students benefit from this approach.
The relationship between attribution, metacognition, and frustration is vital for productive struggle. Future research should explore how these constructs interact to create optimal learning environments.
Quotes
Effective mathematics teaching uses students’ struggles as valuable opportunities to deepen their understanding of mathematics. Students come to realize that they are capable of doing well in mathematics with effort and perseverance in reasoning, sense-making, and problem-solving”.
The productive struggle is the process of engaging with challenging tasks or problems that require effort, critical thinking, and persistence to solve. It involves encountering obstacles, making mistakes, and experiencing a level of cognitive discomfort while actively working towards a solution.
At the heart of the productive struggle construct is the importance of challenging students and encouraging them to struggle. The importance of challenge and frustration is evidenced by the many references to effort, persistence, and perseverance within the active definitions of the productive struggle.
Personal Takeaway
I appreciate how this study focuses on mathematics and emphasizes the role of productive struggle in deepening mathematical understanding. The study effectively highlights that frustration is an inherent part of productive struggle, serving as both a challenge and an opportunity for growth. When managed appropriately, moderate frustration levels can lead to a deeper understanding, greater resilience, and a stronger sense of accomplishment.
Young, J.R., Bevan, D., & Sanders, M. (2024). How productive is the productive struggle? Lessons learned from a scoping review. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology (IJEMST), 12(2), 470-495. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.3364
Interventions, Mental Health, Metacognition
The reason for the study is to address the shortcomings of past studies in mental health interventions, which lacked stringent inclusion criteria and diverse moderators. The aim is to employ more rigorous methods to provide updated and evidence-based results on interventions targeting anxiety or depression. This study presents an updated analysis with more inclusion criteria and additional moderators, such as baseline equivalence and program duration.
School-Based Interventions With Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Have Been Found To Be Effective in Treating Mental Health Symptoms
The universal approach treats the entire population regardless of individual conditions, while the targeted approach treats only those with elevated symptoms. Universal programs aim to prevent, while targeted ones aim to cure. Targeted interventions require extensive screening efforts and may lead to labeling and stigma. However, they have shown effectiveness. Universal programs avoid stigma but are costlier and may reach fewer children. Investigating the effectiveness of each approach can offer valuable insights for implementation.
Through Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) interventions, students gain skills to understand and cope with their feelings, such as using relaxation techniques and interacting with peers more effectively. School-based interventions with CBT components are found effective in reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety, and improving coping strategies.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Should Be Incorporated in School-Based Mental Health Programs
The study ensured a thorough literature search using various methods like database searches, handsearching, and checking references. The first author searched for relevant articles using specific keywords in databases like Google Scholar. Additionally, they manually searched reputable journals. The screening process involved three steps: initially, the first author selected 2308 studies. Then, these studies underwent double-blinded screening, and disagreements were resolved through a group discussion involving the third author.
The analysis of moderators indicates that studies focusing on anxiety outcomes, employing cognitive behavioral therapy, interventions administered by clinicians, and targeting secondary school populations tend to yield positive results. Additionally, selection modeling identified notable biases in publication and outcome selection. Consequently, this meta-analysis recommends that school-based mental health programs consider incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by clinicians, particularly at the secondary school level, to enhance effectiveness.
Schools Need To Enhance Mental Health Services for Their Students
There is a pressing demand for schools to enhance mental health services for students, yet current studies lack comprehensive insights into effective interventions. With a rising number of students experiencing depression and anxiety, identifying evidence-based models for school-based mental health interventions is crucial.
Overall, the analysis reveals a significant positive impact of school-based interventions on depression and anxiety symptoms compared to control groups. Interestingly, interventions addressing anxiety appear more effective than those targeting depression, with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs showing especially promising outcomes. These findings contribute valuable insights into designing effective mental health interventions tailored for school settings.
Notable Quotes:
“There exists a prolific amount of school-based mental health interventions, yet the quality of such interventions varies greatly.”
“In recent years, depression and anxiety have increased rapidly among 6-17 years old American children.”
“Approximately 9.4% 3–17-year-old children were diagnosed with anxiety problems and 31.5% 13-18-year-old children have experienced depression.”
Personal Takeaway:
I agree with the authors of the study that urgent measures need to be taken to address the mental health crisis that is currently prevalent among young people. Cognitive behavior therapy has been a proven solution to address mental health disorders, and if a program can be created for school-going students to receive this support, I am certain that the results will be positive.—Shekufeh
Zhang, Q., Wang, J., & Neitzel, A. (2023). School-based mental health interventions targeting depression or anxiety: A meta-analysis of rigorous randomized controlled trials for school-aged children and adolescents. Journal of youth and adolescence, 52(1), 195-217.
We should be creating awareness of the existence of perpetuated educational psychology misconceptions and the lack of published literature on the effects of the spread of unjustified belief systems in K-12 teaching practices.
Misconceptions Influence Learning
The consequences of the proliferation of false information, a prevalent phenomenon labeled as “post-truths” in this digital age, are severe and profound, perpetuated through ineffective teaching strategies and misinterpretation of the science of learning, influencing pedagogy, learning environments, and curriculum development (Woolfolk Hoy, David and Pape, 2006), and contributing to the societal inability to learn accurate information (Chinn and Malhotra, 2002).
Misconceptions don’t exist due to the lack of exposure to information, but due to the existing fallacious knowledge that needs to be unlearned (Sinatra 2014) brought about by subjective evaluation and erroneous application of empirical data to the field of education.
While some educators question the integrity of evidence-based information, many teachers selectively reject scientific evidence and embrace misconceptions to avoid stress and conflict.
Decreasing Acceptance of Misconceptions With More Advanced Critical Thinking
Researchers Morgan McAfee and Bobby Hoffman reviewed four prominent educational psychology journals and looked into 135 peer-reviewed articles. Primary research sources examined diverse samples consisting of undergraduate psychology students and utilized a true-false response format to identify misconceptions, and a Likert-type scale to measure the intensity of the misconceptions. According to the college samples, differences in the frequency of misconceptions are unable to establish a pattern. However, similarities among those with advanced education revealed a heightened perception of psychology as a science and a decreased acceptance of misconceptions by groups with higher course grades and critical thinking skills.
Mitigating Myths
To eradicate myths and misguided notions, research data and empirical principles must be carefully interpreted and communicated to individuals who lack domain-specific knowledge. Even with the intention of improving and enhancing learning outcomes, concepts can be sensationalized by popular media and misapplied to educational endeavors. Recently, more attention has been given to specific myths related to learning, neuroscience or brain-based education, technology in education, and educational policy.
Appropriate instrumentation should be developed to mitigate pervasive myths and educational psychology misconceptions, and discussion should be encouraged among educators to express dissatisfaction with such errant beliefs and advocate conceptual change efforts (Gregoire, 2003; Muis et al 2018). This can be achieved through teacher training and professional development sessions where these flawed thinking processes can be mediated.
Notable Quotes:
“Individuals discount objective knowledge and evidence because dissonance is perceived as a threat leading to stress and anxiety, feelings that abate when the misconception is embraced” (Gregoire, 2003).
“Educators, educational policymakers and educational researchers should reject educational approaches that lack sufficient scientific support and methodologically sound empirical evidence” (Kirschner and van Merriënboer, 2013).
“Individuals will persistently retain their existing conception while rejecting the new, accurate information to protect their entrenched belief, often satisfying a robust personal or social goal” (Chinn & Brewer, 1993).
Personal Takeaway
It is said that we cannot change people’s minds, but we, as educators, have the capacity to influence and uphold our search for ideals to some extent and enlighten ourselves whenever we possibly can, overcoming one misconception at a time. When we do, we act as educators. This study is about the core and purpose of education. It is about being brave enough to welcome shifts in mindsets, which may eventually effectuate societal changes. As a teacher who wants to see changes happen, it starts off with our beliefs and attitudes toward education. This impacts me personally because even within the walls of the institution where we work, the educators that need to keep young minds open, inquisitive and resilient may themselves be the ones that are resistant to change.
Adrian Pasos
Summarized Article:
McAfee, Morgan and Hoffman, Bobby (2021) “The Morass of Misconceptions: How Unjustified Beliefs Influence Pedagogy and Learning,” International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Vol. 15: No. 1, Article 4.
Key Takeaway:
The more frequently and longer students spend time online, the lower the ratings of self-regulation in digital contexts. Yet, parental control and explicit teaching of digital skills can positively impact self-regulation. Technology in the classroom can enhance motivation, collaboration with peers, and engagement; however, it is not clear if the tools hamper skills like attention and self-regulation. —Frankie Garbutt
It is argued that social-emotional skills such as empathy, perspective, self-control and self-regulation are essential skills in the 21st century. However, one must consider how teaching these skills might need to be adapted at home and in school when today’s children have constant access to social media and the internet, requiring a new approach to self-regulation and self-control. The author of this study set out to find “what benefits for, and risks to, students’ cognitive and social and emotional skills are created by ubiquitous access.”
Self-rating is a means to examine the development of social-emotional skills. It “measures extraversion (sociability, engages in class activities), agreeableness (empathy, wants to help), conscientiousness (self-regulation, perseveres at activities), neuroticism (framed positively as emotional stability), and openness to experience (curiosity, appreciates new experiences).” Technology in the classroom can enhance motivation, collaboration with peers, and engagement, but it is not clear if the tools hamper skills like attention and self-regulation. At home, students’ use of digital tools is largely impacted by “time spent online, types of activities, and parental guidance.”
Changes in Self-Regulation and Social Skills Due to Technology Use
Initially, the results related to social skills showed a downward trend in the skills of self-regulation in digital and non-digital context, whereas the other skills seemed to not be affected because “ratings of the dimensions most clearly related to social skills, extraversion, and agreeableness did not have a consistent trend.“ The results of the study showed five trends:
“Self-regulation in digital contexts was significantly lower (M = 3.05, UL = 3.19) than the equivalent measures in non-digital.“
“This pattern of lower self-regulation in digital contexts compared with non-digital contexts was consistent across the ages.”
“Ratings of social skills tended to be higher than those for self-regulation.”
“Last, ratings of self-regulation in digital contexts appeared to be unrelated to personality dimensions and social skills generally.”
Implications for Schools
The authors discussed that schools can be beneficial when teaching children about self-regulation in a digital context because metacognitive skills and self-regulation are skills consistently taught, which can respectively support the students’ use of digital tools.
Moreover, “like self-regulation, the community of practice involving parents, teachers, and students had a focus on positive online interactions. In contrast, engaging in social media activities at home was associated with higher ratings of social skills in digital (but not in non-digital) contexts.”
Overall, schools are an environment in which students can learn valuable skills, such as self-regulation and social skills, in the ever increasing digital world when complimented by parental involvement and guidance at home. The authors suggest that further research should investigate how parents and schools can respectively support the building of these skills.
Summarized Article:
McNaughton, S., Zhu, T., Rosedale, N., Jesson, R., Oldehaver, J., & Williamson, R. (2022). In school and out of school digital use and the development of children’s self‐regulation and social skills. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(1), 236-257.
Summary by: Frankie Garbutt – Frankie believes that the MARIO Framework encourages students to become reflective, independent learners who progress at their own rate.
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