Seventh-Grade Students’ Outlook About Peer Conflicts During Math Groupwork

• In Event: Research in Progress Division C

Abstract

This paper explores how seventh-grade students approach peer conflicts during math group work. It examines different conflict coping styles and perceptions in the post-covid era math classroom through semi-structured interviews with ten student participants engaged in groupwork. This paper aims to understand how being assigned to work together influences students' approaches towards one another and towards conflicts, as well as their preferences of group members for groupwork using complex instruction. The data collected is analyzed with a constant comparative method and results in four major themes; instances of conflict, student’s perceptions of conflict and prevalence of incremental theory, their views about their group members and their preferences that determine their choice of ideal group members. This study hopes to provide teachers with valuable insight into student conflicts so that they can use a more student-centered approach to managing peer conflicts in the classroom.

Authors

• Palak Shah, University of Cincinnati

• Anna Fricano DeJarnette, University of Cincinnati