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Exploring and developing a framework for analysing whole-class discussions in mathematics
Mälardalen University, School of Education, Culture and Communication, Educational Sciences and Mathematics.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8767-8468
(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Leading whole-class discussions in mathematics in a productive way is identified as a core practice in mathematics instruction. At the same time, productive discussions are rarely seen in classrooms. Thus, we need more knowledge about how different teacher actions in response to students’ comments can affect the students’ learning in these discussions. If research is to be able to produce such knowledge, detailed analytical frameworks and concepts are required in order to describe, analyse and better understand teachers’ actions in whole-class discussions. However, an extensive literature review has identified a lack of such frameworks. Thus, this study sought to propose concepts and refine definitions of existing categories of teacher actions to help develop an analytical framework. This was done by investigating Drageset’s (2014) redirecting, progressing and focusing framework’s potential for conceptualising teachers’ actions during mathematical whole-class discussions generated from multiple-choice tasks supported by classroom response system technology. The analysed data consisted of 35 mathematical whole-class discussions in secondary schools (students aged 13-17 years) in Sweden and the UK. The results suggest five new categories of teacher actions and enrichments of two existing categories in the explored framework.

Keywords [en]
whole-class discussions, teacher actions, mathematics
National Category
Didactics
Research subject
Didactics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-64522OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-64522DiVA, id: diva2:1804184
Available from: 2023-10-11 Created: 2023-10-11 Last updated: 2023-12-11Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Support for productive whole-class discussions in mathematics: Developing and exploring frameworks in the context of classroom response systems
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Support for productive whole-class discussions in mathematics: Developing and exploring frameworks in the context of classroom response systems
2023 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

In recent decades, research has stressed the importance of productive classroom discussions in high-quality mathematical instruction for all learners. However, after decades of attempts by professional development programs to support teachers in achieving these discussions, they are rarely reported on in the classroom context. Thus, there is still a need for support for teachers’ establishment of these discussions. One promising activity for achieving productive discussions involves using a classroom response system and implementing tasks in a multiple-choice format. However, there is little knowledge about whole-class discussions in secondary school mathematics using this approach. This thesis responds to this lack by contributing to knowledge about support for achieving productive whole-class discussions in mathematics using classroom response systems and multiple-choice tasks. The thesis particularly addresses knowledge about the key practices of constructing multiple-choice tasks and leading whole-class discussions. This is operationalized by applying an educational design research approach to 1) develop design principles for constructing tasks and a supplementary task type framework and further evaluate the potential of these design principles by characterizing whole-class discussions, and 2) explore frameworks for analyzing teachers’ leading of whole-class discussions and technology integration. In this work, data from interviews with teachers, reflection notes, and observations were used. The main results cover: characteristics of useful tasks in a multiple-choice format aiming at supporting teachers in achieving productive discussions; characteristics of whole-class discussions in the context of classroom response system in secondary school mathematics; the potential of applying the Structuring Features of Classroom Practice framework as an analytic tool to conceptualize and analyze teachers’ reasoning about classroom response system; and the suggestion of five new categories of teacher actions and enrichments of two existing categories in the redirecting, progressing and focusing framework. In the kappa of this thesis, these results are merged and discussed in relation to theories of ambitious mathematics instruction. The focus is on examining whether and how classroom response systems and multiple-choice tasks can support teachers in establishing this instruction. In summary, the main contributions of this thesis are: a tool for constructing multiple-choice tasks aimed at generating productive discussions in mathematics; an examination of analytical tools for analyzing teachers’ leading of whole-class discussions and technology integration; and suggestions for the development of these tools.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Västerås: Mälardalens universitet, 2023. p. 107
Series
Mälardalen University Press Dissertations, ISSN 1651-4238 ; 396
Keywords
task design, multiple-choice, classroom response system, whole-class discussions, mathematics
National Category
Didactics
Research subject
Didactics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-64525 (URN)978-91-7485-615-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-12-13, Paros, Mälardalens universitet, Västerås, 09:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2023-10-12 Created: 2023-10-11 Last updated: 2023-11-22Bibliographically approved

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Gustafsson, Patrik

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