What is the project about?
This project sets out to explore whether creating mathematical story picture books can improve Year 9 students’ (aged 13-14) understanding of key concepts, boost confidence, and reduce mathematics anxiety. Moving beyond traditional worksheets and textbooks, the study invites students to explain, visualise, and contextualise mathematics through creative storytelling – placing meaning-making at the heart of learning.
In this study, this pedagogical approach is applied specifically to support students’ learning of Pythagoras’ theorem and trigonometry. These topics were deliberately selected because they are foundational within the Key Stage 3–4 curriculum, frequently reported by students as conceptually challenging.
Who is running the project?
The project is led by Dr Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai at the University of Reading. It is supported by Dr Ros McLellan at the University of Cambridge and Dr Flávia H. Santos at the UCL Institute of Education as Co-Investigators, together with Dr Georgios Thoma, Post-Doctoral Research Assistant at the University of Reading.