What Exactly Is the Productive Struggle? Lessons Learned From a Content Analysis of the Mathematics Education Literature

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Section 1C Mathematics Roundtable One (Table 4)

Abstract

For many years, mathematics educators have lacked an agreed-upon conceptual framework for explaining how persistence, creativity, and conceptual understanding interact. The interplay between these elements is increasingly conceptualized as “productive struggle”. We conducted a content analysis of the literature examining the productive struggle in mathematics to provide a guiding understanding for operationalization. Our content analysis of the literature suggests that the productive struggle is often conceptualized by induction or rather through citing the descriptions of others and rarely operationalized. Thus, the direct measurement of the productive struggle as a construct was virtually absent across studies. Unfortunately, the current dependence on conceptual rather than operational definitions limit the ability of researchers to measure the efficacy and impact.

Authors

• Jamaal Young, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Miriam Marie Sanders, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Danielle Bevan, Houston Christian University
  Presenting Author

• Jemimah L Young, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author