BERA 2013

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BERA Annual Conference 2013 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Title: Intersubjectivity and Groupwork in School Mathematics: Examining Year 7 Students Interactions from a Perspective of Communicative Action Abstract No. Presentation Title 0700 Early Career Researcher Conference Individual Paper Intersubjectivity and Groupwork in School Mathematics: Examining Year 7 Students Interactions from a Perspective of Communicative Action Small group interactions around problem solving can be pragmatically understood using a theoretical framework of Communicative Action. How does cognition express itself socially? What are the technical features of pragmatically accessible communicative acts that afford access to the development of mutual understanding? Understanding the intersection of meaningful communication, action, and practices at the small group level provides novel insights into practice and design for problem solving oriented group-work in mathematics education. A theory seeking case study approach was used. Participants included three year seven mathematics teachers, and their students, who were engaged in adopting aspects of a Complex Instruction pedagogical approach to design and coordinate problem solving oriented group-work. Tasks were collaboratively designed with the participating teachers, after which participant observation of the lessons, and post-lesson interviews with the teachers were employed. Small group interactions were recorded using small flip cameras at each table that captured audio and video of student interactions around the tasks, and whole class video was also recorded. Initial analysis of small group interactions led to a focus on episodes of utterances, complimented by an appreciation of semiotically significant bodily movements. This led to the development of codes and models focused on understanding small group interactions from an intersubjective perspective informed by Habermass Theory of Communicative Action. These models and codes were then iteratively used to generate and refine analytical statements and working hypotheses from further interrogation of the data, which addressed micro-processes of communication and interaction in the context of wider socio-cultural issues in mathematics education, including issues of access, attainment and participation. The validity of the theoretical framework and associated models and codes was developed through an exploration of the productivity of their use in analysis of small group interactions. Findings included the development of an Intersubjective Framework for Analysis of small group interactions, evidence that this framework can be productively used to identify ways in which the development of collaborative understanding expresses itself at the small group level, how it breaks down and how it can be supported. The use of the framework developed led to working hypotheses focused on how collaborative understanding can express itself through communicative action, how these processes can be inhibited and breakdown, and how they can be supported. These findings reveal the pragmatic usefulness of a theoretical framework for understanding small group interactions based in the Theory of Communicative Action. Yes (1) Institute of Education, London, UK Geoffrey Kent () Presenting Mathematics Education Yes

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BERA 2013

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