Effects of Engaging in Problem-Posing Interventions on Learners’ Cognitive Mathematics Outcomes: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis assessed the effectiveness of problem-posing interventions on learners’ cognitive learning outcomes. We systematically reviewed 26 quantitative studies published between 2002 and 2024. The results show a large, positive, and significant effect (Hedges’s  = 0.53) of problem-posing interventions. A series of subgroup analyses found that (a) the effect was larger for interventions incorporating problem posing into technology-supported learning environments than it was for problem posing without technological support, and (b) the effect was larger when interventions engaged learners in problem posing using problem examples. These findings provide evidence about the features of problem-posing interventions that are effective in improving learners’ cognitive mathematical outcomes. We discuss implications for using and selecting problem-posing interventions.

Ran, H., Cai, J., Hwang, S., Han, J., Ma, Y., & Muirhead, F. (2025). Effects of engaging in problem-posing interventions on learners’ cognitive mathematics outcomes: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 56(5), 259–282. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2024-0105