Students tend to prefer longer math assignments that include easier questions alongside more challenging material, rather than shorter assignments that include only difficult questions, according to a recent study by a team including a University of Maryland education researcher.
According to UMD Professor Emeritus Allan Wigfield, the addition of simpler questions provides students additional opportunities for success, helping them gain confidence in their ability and further motivating them to tackle the harder questions with more accuracy. This concept is known as the “remembered success effect.” Edutopia ranked the study as one of the most significant educational studies published in 2024 and praised the research for providing teachers with a groundbreaking method to motivate students struggling with challenging math concepts.
The research team, including David B. Miele, an associate professor at Boston College, and Bridgid Finn, the director of behavioral science at Fidelity Investment, tested how 281 third graders and 289 sixth graders responded to the challenging math material and the sequence of easier problems throughout the task. All participants completed a short task with 10 difficult problems and a longer task with 10 challenging problems and five additional easier questions. Participants were divided into subcategories where they received the five less difficult problems at varying sections of the task (i.e., beginning, middle or end). At the end of the experiment, students were surveyed on their preference for the “extended” math assignment or a shorter task. Results showed that although sequencing played little to no effect on students’ preferences, students in both age groups preferred the longer task with more opportunities for success over the shorter assignment. The study was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, finds dwindling math scores over the last five years. According to its 2024 reports, average eighth and fourth grade students scored lower in mathematics compared with pre-pandemic rates, with each seeing a decrease of eight and three points respectively.
“Even before the pandemic, national reports show that math scores have been falling,” explained Wigfield. “Hopefully, this study can provide teachers with a method to motivate their students in the classroom.”
When students struggle with difficult math concepts, teachers sometimes choose to give them easier problems to avoid frustration. This tendency can make it more difficult for students to advance to more challenging math concepts, though. By instead assigning mostly difficult problems with some easier problems, Wigfield said, math teachers can leverage this study in classrooms across the country to motivate their students to tackle harder material and to increase math comprehension in the long run.
“By implementing the remembered success methodology, teachers can help students retain a deeper understanding of math concepts,” said Wigfield. He added, “Of course this is the first study with children to demonstrate the remembered success effect; we are continuing to research under what conditions it works well.”
Photo by Max Fischer
