This study examines teachers’ perspectives on implementing challenging mathematics tasks in the early years of schooling (Foundation– Year 2), focusing on beliefs regarding frequency, timing, and enabling conditions, as well as affective outcomes for teachers and students. Findings are drawn from 82 teachers across 16 schools who completed a research-informed professional learning program, which focused on teaching with challenging tasks in the early primary years. Mathematical Sequences of Learning (MSoL) provided sequenced task resources and pedagogical support for structured inquiry. Following participation in MSoL, a substantial majority of teachers advocated introducing challenging tasks from Foundation, with three-quarters recommending their use multiple times per week. Collaborative planning and leadership support were identified as critical enablers. Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant increases in teacher confidence and enjoyment when teaching mathematics, alongside a significant decrease in teacher anxiety. Teachers also reported perceived improvements in student enjoyment and confidence. Teachers’ qualitative reflections, used narratively to contextualise the quantitative findings, pointed to how specific lesson characteristics and task features supported both engagement and emotional safety. In particular, collaborative classroom norms and variation across sequences of tasks helped to sustain motivation while reducing apprehension. The findings suggest that structured professional learning, when combined with high-quality resources and school-based supports, can shape affective outcomes in mathematics education and promote broader pedagogical change. These results underscore the potential of a challenging tasks approach to enhance teaching and learning in the early years, while questioning assumptions that such pedagogies are only suitable for older or higher-achieving students, or that it is necessary to start all lessons with teachers telling.
Russo et al. (Sat,) studied this question.