SA REVIEW OF LITERATURE 1

Signature Assignment: Review of Literature

Emily E. Pompa

Arizona State University: Mary Lou Fulton

SED 322: Classroom Leadership/Secondary Schools

Dr. Monica Eklund

November 21, 2021

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Introduction

Cultivating a culture of error takes a village to accomplish, given the extensive

support needed in order to aid a student in learning from their mistakes comfortably. Research

has started to make its way into the classroom in terms of this ideology and benefits the spread of

opportunity of learning in a unique way. More specifically, the aim of such research is to

dismantle the stereotypical negative connotations within mathematics. As anxieties increase, so

does the need to subdue the fears that lay within the subject itself. The research provides solid

evidence of the significance of mistake making within student progression in mathematics.

The articles included in supporting a culture of error provide research for how mistake

making may be supported by the teacher, student, and the parents of the student. Shaughnessy et

al. (2020) define effective ways of responding to student’s incorrect work. Teachers are placed in

a scenario that simulates a possible incorrect answer to a problem and how they might elicit

student thinking. The results uncovered that a majority of educators were able to properly define

a student's mistake as a way of learning through elicit questioning.

A separate article identified a similar cause for research, where teachers were evaluated

on their ability to respond to error in the classroom effectively. Seifried and Wuttke (2010) use a

method pertaining to lessons that are recorded and evaluated for student comfortability and

educator competencies pertaining to a culture of error. The results provided a confirmation of the

success that yields student learning when exposed to a comfortable environment that leverages

error as a way of learning mathematics.

The final study evaluates the correlation between mathematical anxieties, as well as

parental involvement and how they may affect a student’s mathematical success. This was done

through the use of a survey for parents on their involvement in their child’s education and the
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students were provided mathematical problems to assess anxieties. Vukovic and Green Wright

(2013) found that anxieties within mathematics are very much present in students and parental

aid can help them to succeed given the proper at-home practices. In all, every article concludes

that mathematics is anxiety-filled and, therefore, a significant candidate for the positive effects

that a culture of error can provide in students’ mathematical success.

Ability to Present Error Positively

Mathematics is largely based on the conceptualization of the problems at hand, where

students work to place meaning upon such problems as a means of producing the correct answer.

Without this way of thinking being present within students, they will need guidance through

elicit questioning provided by a mathematics teacher to learn from their previously made errors

(Shaughnessy et al., 2020). As a way of implementing a strong practice for regulating mistake

making, teachers must put forth the positivity that comes from a culture of error. Seifried and

Wuttke (2010) support such a notion as they find a positive culture of error to be critical to any

learning environment. This is taken even a step further when they present the idea that a

teacher’s competency in evaluating student mistakes is the foundation needed to support this

positive culture (Seifried & Wuttke, 2010).

Student Response to Productive Error

There is a continuous growth of a negative mindset within mathematics that stretches the

anxieties that students have on the subject itself (Vukovic, Roberts & Green Wright, 2013). This

is where the positive environment that teachers cultivate is crucial to the success of a culture of

error. Furthermore, Seifried and Wuttke (2010) emphasize the fact that competence needs to be

present in teaching practices, as its absence will cause students to feel “foolish.” With these

aspects in mind, the probing of why particular mistakes may have been made aid students in
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recognizing and revising their incorrect answers (Shaughnessy et al., 2020). The more that error

is welcomed, the stronger connection students have to a comfortable mathematical environment.

Parental Support and Guidance

The final portion of research that supports mistake making in the classroom is the

parental involvement of student learning when at home. It was found that the proper practices

being implemented at home will progress student learning in ways that can aid in removing some

of their anxieties (Vukovic, Roberts & Green Wright, 2013). Furthermore, as the findings from

Shaughnessy et al. (2020) and Seifried and Wuttke (2010) support positive teaching practices in

terms of error within the classroom, Vukovic, Roberts, Green Wright (2013) conclude that these

same practices should be carefully considered by parents when taking part in their child’s

mathematical progression.

Statement of Conclusion

There is much to take from the research that was conducted within these articles. The

largest aspect of them all is the ability for the teacher to sustain the proper practices in cultivating

a culture of error. When the errors are focused on too much, students might present insecurities

in their mathematical abilities, further suppressing their opportunity to succeed (Seifried &

Wuttke, 2010). This is where teachers must plan for the elicitation of explicit instruction and

questioning that will guide students in recognizing their mistakes and learning from them

(Shaughnessy et al., 2020). This is the start of helping students to see the importance of

evaluating their mistakes and relieve common anxieties (Vukovic, Roberts & Green Wright,

2013).

In continuation with the practices that are executed by teachers within the classroom,

parents must also adopt such practices to provide consistency in learning from error. Vukovic,
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Roberts, and Green Wright (2013) stress this importance as the improper support of mistake

making at home can hinder a students’ mindset on being successful within mathematics. There is

no need for parents to become experts within the subject, yet must understand how to aid in their

child’s learning of the subject (Vukovic, Roberts & Green Wright, 2013). In all, there is a large

support system that must be created to effectively cultivate a culture of error. Prior to a student

ever expressing comfortability in making mistakes, the teacher must elicit proper guidance and

help parents in continuing this process at home.

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References

Seifried, J., & Wuttke, E. (2010). Student errors: how teachers diagnose and respond to them.

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 2(2), 147–162.

https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03546493

Shaughnessy, M., DeFino, R., Pfaff, E., & Blunk, M. (2020). I think I made a mistake: How do

prospective teachers elicit the thinking of a student who has made a mistake?

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 24(4), 335–359.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-020-09461-5

Vukovic, R. K., Roberts, S. O., & Green Wright, L. (2013). From Parental Involvement to

Children’s Mathematical Performance: The Role of Mathematics Anxiety. Early

Education and Development, 24(4), 446–467.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2012.693430