# Teacher Intervention During Collaborative Problem Solving in Mathematics Classrooms in Mainland China

## TL;DR

This study examines how teacher interventions during group problem-solving in Chinese math classes affect student performance and collaboration.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of teacher interventions in collaborative problem-solving in Chinese mathematics classrooms.

## Key findings

- Three out of four teachers' interventions were found to be effective in improving task performance.
- Effective interventions focused on social activities and diagnosing student needs.
- The study highlights differences in teacher authority and intervention styles between Chinese and Western classrooms.

## Abstract

In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, students from four cities/provinces in mainland China performed worse in collaborative problem solving (CPS) than in other subjects. While student collaboration has been widely implemented in Chinese classrooms for over two decades, empirical research on teachers’ roles and interventions remains quite scarce. Influenced by international educational reform in the 21st century, educators have developed and made widespread use of open-ended tasks, perceived as more suitable for CPS, during mathematics lessons. In this study, we investigate the effect of teacher intervention during pair and small group CPS using a quasi-experiment with four teachers from eight classes. We then selected typical cases and analysed their effect on task performance regarding intervention focus and means. The result showed that three of the four teachers’ interventions proved effective. The most and least effective teachers were selected for the case study. We discuss teacher intervention’s effect in emphasising social activities and diagnosing. Considering the difference in authority between teachers in Chinese/Western classrooms, we discuss intervention styles and offer suggestions for choosing and carefully implementing appropriate forms of collaborative activities.