Teachers’ goal communication in Nordic mathematics classrooms

Abstract

Clear learning goals are an integral part of instructional clarity and seen as a factor influencing students’ motivation and learning processes. However, goal communication and the types of goals teachers set are rarely addressed in classroom studies. To further the understanding of these aspects, the purpose of this study was to investigate communicated learning goals in 146 videotaped lessons across 48 Nordic lower-secondary mathematics classrooms. A two-step analysis focusing goal clarity and types of communicated goals was applied to the data. Analyses indicated that the goals were often implicit and vague, and mostly focused on content and procedural skills, rather than on mathematical competencies and applications of mathematics. We conclude that the focus on content and procedures, coupled with implicit learning goals, could obscure the purpose of a lesson.