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An important research goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence students’ abilities in mathematical problem posing. Curiosity may be one factor recognized as a key driver of meaningful inquiry and learning. Therefore, investigating whether curiosity plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of mathematical problems posed by students could provide valuable insights into the dynamics shaping problem-posing activities in mathematics classrooms. The current study took a step towards this direction by focusing on two curiosity types: trait curiosity as a general tendency to seek out and enjoy new knowledge across various contexts, and mathematical curiosity as a specific tendency to explore, question, and discover within the domain of mathematics. The aim was to explore whether trait curiosity, mathematical curiosity, and grade level predict students’ problem-posing performance. To this end, a mathematics problem-posing test was administered to Grades 4, 5, and 6 students, which included two tasks with open problem situations based on a real-life context. The prompt in each task required the students to pose four different mathematical questions that could be answered from the information provided, ranging from an easy question to a more mathematically complex question. Trait curiosity was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from previous studies, while a new questionnaire was developed to assess mathematical curiosity. A significant finding was that mathematical curiosity predicted students’ problem-posing performance, whereas trait curiosity did not. This finding suggests that the potential enhancement of mathematical curiosity through instruction may serve as a means to enhance problem-posing performance. Another significant finding was that students’ grade level did not predict problem-posing performance, indicating that the ability to pose mathematical problems may depend more on affective factors, such as mathematical curiosity, rather than grade-related differences, such as the depth of mathematical knowledge.

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Problem Posing, Trait Curiosity, and Mathematical Curiosity

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Demetra Pitta-Pantazi,
  • Maria Chimoni,
  • Constantinos Christou

摘要

An important research goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence students’ abilities in mathematical problem posing. Curiosity may be one factor recognized as a key driver of meaningful inquiry and learning. Therefore, investigating whether curiosity plays a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of mathematical problems posed by students could provide valuable insights into the dynamics shaping problem-posing activities in mathematics classrooms. The current study took a step towards this direction by focusing on two curiosity types: trait curiosity as a general tendency to seek out and enjoy new knowledge across various contexts, and mathematical curiosity as a specific tendency to explore, question, and discover within the domain of mathematics. The aim was to explore whether trait curiosity, mathematical curiosity, and grade level predict students’ problem-posing performance. To this end, a mathematics problem-posing test was administered to Grades 4, 5, and 6 students, which included two tasks with open problem situations based on a real-life context. The prompt in each task required the students to pose four different mathematical questions that could be answered from the information provided, ranging from an easy question to a more mathematically complex question. Trait curiosity was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from previous studies, while a new questionnaire was developed to assess mathematical curiosity. A significant finding was that mathematical curiosity predicted students’ problem-posing performance, whereas trait curiosity did not. This finding suggests that the potential enhancement of mathematical curiosity through instruction may serve as a means to enhance problem-posing performance. Another significant finding was that students’ grade level did not predict problem-posing performance, indicating that the ability to pose mathematical problems may depend more on affective factors, such as mathematical curiosity, rather than grade-related differences, such as the depth of mathematical knowledge.