2015 Mathematics curriculum emphasizes the aspect of the learner's affective aspect. Korea students are ranked in the top of math studying time compare with other countries. On the other hand, it is at the bottom of the list in terms of affective domain, such as math anxiety, self-efficiency index for math, and motivation index for math learning. Given these results, efforts should be focused on improving math education not only from a cognitive perspective but also from a affective perspective. Also, emphasis should be placed on getting students to take time to think about their confidence, interest and value in math learning.
Accordingly, programs are needed to allow students to analyze and improve the causes of anxiety about mathematics or low learning confidence on their own, and a math learning consultation tailored to each student to help them recognize the value of mathematics.
In light of this, this study tries to find out how math learning counseling can affect middle school students' math learning.
In this study, I conducted a preliminary examination of four junior high school students using the math learning diagnostic test used by KOFAC and conducted a learning counseling for each student based on the results of the test. The consultation was conducted from 3 to 6 sessions, and each consultation session lasted about 10 minutes.
I analyzed the results of the interviews, and identified the followings:
First, I confirmed that students were motivated to study math and that their perception of math learning changed positively through the mathematics learning counseling.
Second, I confirmed that math learning counseling could help students identify their own methods of learning math and recognize for themselves the difficulties or obstacles they face in math learning.
Third, through math learning counseling, students can help them have a new motivation for learning math by identifying the factors that gave them value and meaning.
Fourth, math learning counseling can help students find problems and causes for math learning by letting them see how they learn math and how they perceive it.
As a result, through this study, I confirmed that the perception and attitude of math learning could change if students were given the opportunity to identify problems themselves in the course of learning math. Given this, each learner's environment is different, so a program in the form of a student-specific math learning clinic is needed to diagnose each learner and to provide them the appropriate prescription.