TỪ “KHÓ KHĂN NHẬN THỨC” ĐẾN “BẤT LỰC TẬP NHIỄM” Ở HỌC SINH YẾU KÉM MÔN TOÁN: NHẬN DIỆN CÁC MỨC ĐỘ VÀ ĐỊNH HƯỚNG HỖ TRỢ SƯ PHẠM

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the transitional process from learning difficulties to learned helplessness among low-achieving high school students in Mathematics, thereby proposing pedagogical support orientations. Utilizing a qualitative research method on a purposive sample of 52 students in Ho Chi Minh City, the findings indicate that this target group is differentiated into four risk levels: immune, low risk, moderate risk, and high risk. Data show that the deterioration originates from an avoidant defense mechanism, which then transforms into an “expectation of futility” as students attribute failure to “internal - stable” factors. This process is accelerated by the intertwined impacts of cognitive overload, a lack of pedagogical scaffolding, and a psychologically unsafe learning environment. The study proposes three intervention measures: (1) Establishing psychological safety by normalizing mistakes; (2) Applying “cognitive scaffolding” to alleviate information overload; and (3) “Attribution retraining” to restore learning motivation.