Five Dimensions of Agency in Early Elementary Mathematics Classrooms

• In Event: Predictors of Student Success in Mathematics Education

Abstract

Math is a sore point in many students’ schooling, but it does not have to be. Research has shown that agency, defined as the extent to which students are able to decide what to do and how to do it, could play an important role in changing course. In this interview-based study I asked, “What forms of agency do early elementary school students experience, seek, or appreciate while learning mathematics?” Through analysis, I identified Five Dimensions of Agency: conceptual, creative, physical, temporal, and interactive. These extend the literature’s focus on problem-solving to encapsulate the multifaceted experiences of a young student, and they challenge educators to imagine ways of creating more diverse opportunities for students to exercise agency while learning mathematics.

Author

• Mari Altshuler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign