Culture, emotion, and mathematics learning: A cross-cultural study of classroom environments in Indonesia and Ghana

Abstrak

Mathematics classroom learning environments in developing contexts remain insufficiently represented in international comparative research, leaving unresolved questions regarding whether the affective and relational dimensions of mathematics learning are culturally universal or context dependent. Drawing upon Control-Value Theory (CVT) and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study investigated and compared junior high school students’ perceptions of four dimensions of the mathematics classroom learning environment, such as Instructional Clarity, Enjoyment, Student–Teacher Interaction, and Disorderly Behavior, in Indonesia (n = 132) and Ghana (n = 87). Quantitative data were obtained through a validated 80-item questionnaire and analyzed using Mann–Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction (α = 0.0125) and Cohen’s d effect sizes following the establishment of measurement invariance. Qualitative data derived from interviews with 18 students and 8 teachers were examined using constructivist Grounded Theory (GT) analysis. The findings demonstrated significant cross-cultural differences in Enjoyment (d = 0.831, large effect; Ghana > Indonesia) and Disorderly Behavior (d = 0.398, small effect; Indonesia > Ghana), whereas no statistically significant differences were identified for Instructional Clarity and Student–Teacher Interaction. GT analysis generated two contrasting core categories: Indonesian students perceived mathematics as a fragmented obligation shaped by external pressure and relational distance, whereas Ghanaian students constructed mathematics learning as meaningful engagement supported by a positive socio-cultural ecosystem. These findings extend CVT and bioecological perspectives by demonstrating that the affective dimensions of mathematics learning are culturally situated rather than universally experienced. Furthermore, the study provides important implications for curriculum reform, culturally responsive pedagogy, and mathematics classroom intervention in developing educational contexts.