Emotions experienced by participants in a mathematical problem solving competition
Abstract
Emotions are still under-researched when exploring the mathematical experience of young students, particularly in what concerns the positive emotions involved in problem solving. On the other hand, there are many studies that deal with difficulties, anxiety, rejection and passivity, often associated with failure in mathematics. Research has shown that mathematical activity cannot be viewed as a strictly cognitive operation in which emotions are not involved; on the contrary, affective systems play a central role in learning mathematics. In this article, we present results from an empirical research project conducted in the context of inclusive mathematical competitions carried out through the Internet: SUB12 and SUB14. Data from a questionnaire, open-ended interviews, and e-mails exchanged during the competitions are presented and analysed. The conclusions of the study reveal students experienced strong positive emotions, namely enthusiasm, joy, enjoyment, pride and happiness, associated with a successful performance in mathematical problem solving, as could be expected. The results also show that negative emotions when it comes to facing difficulty and failure tend to be soft emotions that seem to be transient and turn into positive emotions. We explain these results based on the specific characteristics of the cultural environment of these competitions, namely encouraging help-seeking, providing positive feedback and giving the participants the chance to improve.
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