Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics

The collaboration between teachers, researchers, and educators has proven essential in advancing teacher professional development and improving pupils’ outcomes. This study investigates the effect of co-creating instructional materials and lesson plans on pupils’ mathematics problem-solving skills b...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ernest Ampadu, Millicent Narh-Kert, Rita Yeboah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1328
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846104922576125952
author Ernest Ampadu
Millicent Narh-Kert
Rita Yeboah
author_facet Ernest Ampadu
Millicent Narh-Kert
Rita Yeboah
author_sort Ernest Ampadu
collection DOAJ
description The collaboration between teachers, researchers, and educators has proven essential in advancing teacher professional development and improving pupils’ outcomes. This study investigates the effect of co-creating instructional materials and lesson plans on pupils’ mathematics problem-solving skills by employing the principles of co-creation and design-based research (DBR) to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data, providing a comprehensive understanding of the outcomes. A sample of 530 pupils from six primary schools was used, and data were collected using problem assessment sheets for primary 1, 2, and 3 pupils. The assessment tools measured pupils’ problem-solving understanding and competencies across numbers and algebra, measurement and geometry, and data strands. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied. The findings revealed that pupils’ performance improved across all three strands due to the co-creation process, with the most significant improvements observed among female pupils and those from rural schools. The factorial ANOVA results showed a significant interaction effect between class level and school location in the geometry and measurement and data strands, with F (2, 518) = 15.15, <i>p</i> < 0.001, and F (2, 518) = 12.28, <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively. However, the interaction effect of the three independent variables on pupils’ performance in the numbers and algebra strand, F (2, 518) = 1.073, <i>p</i> = 0.342, was not significant. The study concludes that co-creation between teachers, researchers, and educators holds substantial potential for enhancing the teaching and learning of problem solving in schools and provides an excellent opportunity for teachers, educators, and researchers to harness their skills and competencies to improve mathematics teaching and learning.
format Article
id doaj-art-5ebe8c7e684948f88c28906dcb4cddf0
institution Kabale University
issn 2227-7102
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Education Sciences
spelling doaj-art-5ebe8c7e684948f88c28906dcb4cddf02024-12-27T14:22:31ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022024-12-011412132810.3390/educsci14121328Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in MathematicsErnest Ampadu0Millicent Narh-Kert1Rita Yeboah2Department of Learning, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, 114 28 Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 1181, GhanaDepartment of Teacher Education, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG 1181, GhanaThe collaboration between teachers, researchers, and educators has proven essential in advancing teacher professional development and improving pupils’ outcomes. This study investigates the effect of co-creating instructional materials and lesson plans on pupils’ mathematics problem-solving skills by employing the principles of co-creation and design-based research (DBR) to collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data, providing a comprehensive understanding of the outcomes. A sample of 530 pupils from six primary schools was used, and data were collected using problem assessment sheets for primary 1, 2, and 3 pupils. The assessment tools measured pupils’ problem-solving understanding and competencies across numbers and algebra, measurement and geometry, and data strands. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied. The findings revealed that pupils’ performance improved across all three strands due to the co-creation process, with the most significant improvements observed among female pupils and those from rural schools. The factorial ANOVA results showed a significant interaction effect between class level and school location in the geometry and measurement and data strands, with F (2, 518) = 15.15, <i>p</i> < 0.001, and F (2, 518) = 12.28, <i>p</i> < 0.001, respectively. However, the interaction effect of the three independent variables on pupils’ performance in the numbers and algebra strand, F (2, 518) = 1.073, <i>p</i> = 0.342, was not significant. The study concludes that co-creation between teachers, researchers, and educators holds substantial potential for enhancing the teaching and learning of problem solving in schools and provides an excellent opportunity for teachers, educators, and researchers to harness their skills and competencies to improve mathematics teaching and learning.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1328co-creationdesign-based researchinstructional materialsproblem solvingperformance
spellingShingle Ernest Ampadu
Millicent Narh-Kert
Rita Yeboah
Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
Education Sciences
co-creation
design-based research
instructional materials
problem solving
performance
title Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
title_full Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
title_fullStr Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
title_full_unstemmed Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
title_short Teachers’, Researchers’, and Educators’ Partnerships: The Effect of Co-Creation on Pupils’ Problem-Solving Performance in Mathematics
title_sort teachers researchers and educators partnerships the effect of co creation on pupils problem solving performance in mathematics
topic co-creation
design-based research
instructional materials
problem solving
performance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1328
work_keys_str_mv AT ernestampadu teachersresearchersandeducatorspartnershipstheeffectofcocreationonpupilsproblemsolvingperformanceinmathematics
AT millicentnarhkert teachersresearchersandeducatorspartnershipstheeffectofcocreationonpupilsproblemsolvingperformanceinmathematics
AT ritayeboah teachersresearchersandeducatorspartnershipstheeffectofcocreationonpupilsproblemsolvingperformanceinmathematics