Introducing WebQuests in Mathematics: A Study of Qatari Students’ Reactions and Emotions

Carol Murphy; Nigel Calder; Nasser Mansour; Abdullah Abu-Tineh

doi:10.29333/iejme/8445

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Carol Murphy ¹ ^* , Nigel Calder ², Nasser Mansour ³, Abdullah Abu-Tineh ⁴

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¹ University of Tasmania, AUSTRALIA² University of Waikato, NEW ZEALAND³ University of Exeter, UNITED KINGDOM⁴ Qatar University, QATAR^* Corresponding Author

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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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, 2020, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: em0603

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/8445

Publication date: 31 Jul 2020

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Article Downloads: 992

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How to cite this article

APA

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

Vancouver

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

AMA

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

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

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

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