A meta-analysis study: Does the open-ended approach to learning mathematics have an effect on students’ high-level mathematical thinking abilities?

Abstract

The objective of this study is to comprehensively examine the impact of an
open-ended instructional approach on students’ high-order mathematical
thinking skills. The study utilized meta-analysis, using a dataset consisting of
63 scientific papers that contained experimental research findings. Publication
bias testing was conducted on 36 papers in 5 iterations, resulting in the
identification of 30 publications that fulfilled the intended conditions. The
analytical results indicated that, on average, the open-ended approach had a
significant impact on students’ high-order mathematical thinking skills, falling
inside the category of adequate. According to the educational level, it was
discovered that the open-ended approach had a consistent impact across all
levels of education, ranging from elementary school to university. Additionally,
there was no variation in the extent of the impact between different levels of
education. The impact of the open-ended approach on high-order mathematical
thinking skills is highly significant in both small and large classrooms, with no
obvious distinction between the two. According to the mathematics material,
the open-ended approach has a highly significant effect size in enhancing high
order mathematical thinking skills. The findings of this study validate that the
open-ended approach is critical in enhancing students’ high-order mathematical
thinking skills at all educational levels, and is not influenced by the quantity of
students in a class.