Vertical Board Teaching Strategy in Enhancing Engagement and Academic Performance in Grade 8 Mathematics Learners

Abstract

Traditional, teacher-centered mathematics pedagogy may leave learners disengaged and underperforming when classroom activity does not cultivate conceptual understanding. This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of the Vertical Board Teaching Strategy (VBTS), adapted from Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms framework, in enhancing engagement and academic performance among 21 Grade 8 mathematics learners at Sanders Middle School in Arizona, USA. Students completed mathematics pre-tests and post-tests aligned with the Beyond Textbooks curriculum and a multidimensional engagement survey. The paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant difference in performance after implementation (t = 7.295, df = 20, p < .001), with the reported mean score increasing from 5.55 to 10.11 and the reported gain described as 4.56 points. Engagement was moderately high overall (M = 2.71), with behavioral engagement highest (M = 2.96), cognitive engagement also moderately high (M = 2.80), and emotional engagement lowest (M = 2.40, moderately low). First-quarter grading data showed that 11 learners (52%) received a failing grade, indicating that short-term assessment gains did not eliminate broader achievement difficulties. Pearson correlation analysis found a statistically significant moderate relationship between cognitive engagement and academic performance (r = 0.455, p = .038), whereas behavioral engagement (r = 0.091, p = .696) and emotional engagement (r = 0.041, p = .798) were not statistically significant. Based on these findings, a three-day intensive professional-development workshop and a one-quarter monitoring plan were proposed to strengthen cognitive engagement, emotional scaffolding, and high-fidelity VBTS implementation.