"What the Heck Are You Doing?" A Micro-Analysis of Relational Equity During Mathematical Collaboration

• In Event: 72.049 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 72.049-7 - Effective Strategy Use in Mathematics Education

Abstract

We report a qualitative analysis of elementary school students engaged in collaborative problem solving involving mathematical equivalence tasks. In this interdisciplinary study, (1) we build on psychology research pertaining to students’ conceptions of the equal sign; (2) we use a framework from mathematics education to guide our analysis specifically in terms of “relational equity”; and (3) using analytic techniques developed in the learning sciences, we analyze data that includes video and written pre- and post-assessments. We identify nuanced aspects of the social interaction that influence whether/how students develop effective strategies. Pooling theories and methods from these different fields, we hope to provide a useful take on children’s development of mathematical knowledge in terms of relational equity, and vice versa.

Authors

• José Francisco Gutiérrez, University of Utah

• Sarah Brown, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Tiffany Estep

• Martha W. Alibali, University of Wisconsin - Madison