1. Roy Smalley Doctoral Candidate Monash University
Increasing engagement in mathematics: help-seeking and the psychosocial learning environment
Roy Smalley
Doctoral Candidate
Monash University
Supervisors: Associate Professor Jeffrey Dorman and Dr. Timothy Lynch (at Federation University from 2014)
Federation University Research sharing day: Education Discipline,
Wednesday November 20th 2013, Royal Society of Victoria, Carlton
Image source:

2. Senior Secondary School Mathematics
Mathematics isn’t just important. It is a critical skill that every Australian citizen should be able to develop in order to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. Mathematics enables technological innovation in our world. It is elemental to all forms of commerce. It is the foundation upon which all sciences and all areas of engineering depend (Rubinstein, 2009, p. 1).
However, many students find mathematics challenging and opt out as soon as possible. There is a need to develop and implement strategies aimed at increasing the level of engagement of all secondary students in mathematics (Education and Training Committee, 2006) .
What makes mathematics hard is both how easy it is to make mistakes and how difficult it is to hide them. Contrast this with poetry. It’s as easy to make mistakes in poetry—write stunningly bad poetry—as it is to blunder in mathematics. But it’s much easier to cover up poetic blunders. Why that is extremely interesting, but something I can’t fully get into now (Azzouni, 2006, p. 205).
If mistakes are ubiquitous in Mathematics then help seeking and help giving must be considered core skills or behaviours. Help-seeking is a self-regulated behaviour that requires a transaction between the individual and the social environment in order to be effective.

3. Conceptual Framework
The objective of this study is to identify the motivational and classroom learning environment variables which have the strongest influence on supporting students’ help seeking behaviour, and reducing avoidance of help-seeking, in senior secondary mathematics classes (years 9-12).
Self theory of intelligence: are peoples’ beliefs about the nature of their intelligence – as a fixed (entity theorist) or a changeable (incremental theorist) attribute (Dweck & Master, 2009).
Psychosocial Learning Environment: “those aspects of the environment that focus on the behaviour of humans” (Dorman, 2002).

4. Research Questions
This study will attempt to address the following research questions which were derived from the proposed conceptual framework.
What is the relationship between students’ perceptions of the classroom psychosocial learning environment and their help-seeking behaviour during senior secondary mathematics?
To what extent do student’s academic and social self-efficacy beliefs mediate the influence of the identified psychosocial environment factors on in-class help-seeking behaviour?
To what extent are students’ perceptions of the classroom climate and help seeking behaviour influenced by the student’s self-theories of intelligence, gender, year level, and subject level?

5. Sample
Target schools – random sample of 50 schools from the VCAA list of schools offering General Mathematics
About 6-10 classes per school – Cluster sampling of at least 30 classes for each subject/year level will enable multilevel modelling during data analysis
About 10 students per class – the unit of analysis is the class, therefore we need a group mean that will represent the majority of the class
Goal – 1000 to 2000 participants

6. Student Self report surveys
Online survey (Qualtrics)
Demographic data: gender, age, birthplace
Context Descriptive data: # classes, topic
Section 2 - Your beliefs about intelligence
Self theory of intelligence: 6 items, 6 pt scale (S Disagree – S Agree)
Section 3 – Your participation during mathematics
Help seeking: 11 items, 9 pt scale (not at all/moderately/very true)
Academic efficacy: 7 items
Social efficacy: 8 items
Section 4 - Your Perception of this Mathematics Class
What is happening in this class? (WIHIC): 35 items, 5 pt scale .

7. References
Azzouni, J. (2006). How and Why Mathematics Is Unique as a Social Practice. In R. Hersh (Ed.), 18 Unconventional Essays on the Nature of Mathematics (pp ). New York, NY: Springer. Retrieved 6 Nov, 2009, from Dorman, J. (2002). Editorial: The study of learning environments. Queensland Journal of Educational Research, 18(2), Retrieved from Dweck, C. S., & Master, A. (2009). Self-Theories and Motivation: Students' Beliefs About Intelligence. In K. R. Wentzel & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (pp ). New York: Routledge. Education and Training Committee. (2006). Inquiry into the Promotion of Mathematics and Science Education. (No. 183 Session 2003–2006). Melbourne: Parliament of Victoria, Education and Training Committee. Retrieved from Rubinstein, H. (2009). A National Strategy for Mathematical Sciences in Australia: Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute. Retrieved 16 Apr, 2013, from