DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNER-CENTERED MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM FOR CULTIVATING MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

The aims of this research area are as follows: (1) to study the current situation of mathematical problem-solving skills among primary school students; (2) to develop a learner-centered mathematics curriculum for cultivating mathematical problem-solving skills among primary school students; (3) to study the effectiveness of the learner-centered mathematics curriculum in cultivating mathematical problem-solving skills in primary school students. The sample consisted of 40 fourth-grade students from Zhoukou City, Henan Province, China. They were selected using a multi-stage sampling method. The experimental design was a one-group pretest-posttest design. The instrument used for collecting data was a mathematical problem-solving skills test paper. This study, guided by the learner-centered educational philosophy, comprehensively utilized cooperative learning, problem-based learning, and gamification to design a range of activities aimed at encouraging active exploration and problem-solving. The learner-centered mathematics curriculum has six components: curriculum principles, curriculum objectives, curriculum content, teaching methods, instructional materials, and learning evaluation. The results of the curriculum implementation showed that the mean scores of students who completed the learner-centered mathematics curriculum on mathematical problem-solving skills were higher than their pre-test scores, and this difference was statistically significant at a level of .05 level.

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