ERIC Number: EJ1035718
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Sep
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-5984
EISSN: N/A
Low- and High-Achieving Sixth-Grade Students' Access to Participation during Mathematics Discourse
Lack, Brian; Swars, Susan Lee; Meyers, Barbara
Elementary School Journal, v115 n1 p97-123 Sep 2014
A descriptive, holistic, multiple-case methodology was applied to examine the nature of participation in discourse of two low- and two high-achieving grade 6 students while solving mathematical tasks in a standards-based classroom. Data collected via classroom observations and student interviews were analyzed through a multiple-cycle coding process that yielded the within-case themes of use of space, meaning-making, and peer and teacher interactions. This student-focused inquiry addressed a methodological gap in the extant empirical literature by employing video-recording as a means of eliciting student awareness and reflection, which notably revealed differences in participation between the two low-achieving students. When considering implications, the results illuminate needed additional classroom norms, issues related to relative differences in students' abilities in heterogeneous groups, benefits of using video-recording as a means of promoting student reflection, and the important role of the teacher in maintaining equitable participation.
Descriptors: Student Participation, Grade 6, Low Achievement, High Achievement, Problem Solving, Mathematics Instruction, Observation, Interviews, Coding, Mathematical Logic, Peer Relationship, Teacher Student Relationship, Interaction, Inquiry, Video Technology, Classroom Environment, Reflection, Teacher Role, Middle School Students, Difficulty Level, Cognitive Processes, Cooperative Learning, Semi Structured Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A