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International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education

International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education
Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions
Carol Murphy 1 * , Nigel Calder 2, Nasser Mansour 3, Abdullah Abu-Tineh 4
1 University of Tasmania, AUSTRALIA2 University of Waikato, NEW ZEALAND3 University of Exeter, UNITED KINGDOM4 Qatar University, QATAR
* Corresponding Author
APA
In-text citation: (Murphy et al., 2020)
Reference: Murphy, C., Calder, N., Mansour, N., & Abu-Tineh, A. (2020). Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(3), em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445
AMA
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Murphy C, Calder N, Mansour N, Abu-Tineh A. Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(3), em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445
Chicago
In-text citation: (Murphy et al., 2020)
Reference: Murphy, Carol, Nigel Calder, Nasser Mansour, and Abdullah Abu-Tineh. "Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2020 15 no. 3 (2020): em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445
Harvard
In-text citation: (Murphy et al., 2020)
Reference: Murphy, C., Calder, N., Mansour, N., and Abu-Tineh, A. (2020). Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(3), em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445
MLA
In-text citation: (Murphy et al., 2020)
Reference: Murphy, Carol et al. "Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 15, no. 3, 2020, em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445
Vancouver
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Murphy C, Calder N, Mansour N, Abu-Tineh A. Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(3):em0603. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445

Abstract

There is a need to investigate didactic strategies that can enhance engagement in science and mathematics education. This paper reports on the introduction of WebQuests, as part of collaborative inquiry, to enhance students’ engagement in their mathematics lessons in Qatar. We present interview data gathered from eight student focus groups (grades 5 to 9) before and after the introduction of WebQuest lessons. Constant comparative analysis was used to examine students’ reactions to using WebQuests in developing student-directed learning and collaboration in relation to support for learning. The analysis identified prospective reactions that were often confirmed retrospectively following the WebQuest lessons. These reactions were further analysed as external expressions of affect encoded by trait-like emotions that were similar to Goldin et al.’s (2011) notion of engagement structures. We suggest that the confirmation of reactions and emotions was influenced by students’ levels of tolerance for ambiguity as a common element across engagement structures.

Keywords

collaborative inquiry emotions engagement structures exploratory talk WebQuests

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