Upper secondary students’ task solving reasoning was analysed, with a focus on grounds for different strategy choices and implementations. The results indicate that mathematically well-founded considerations were rare. The dominating reasoning types were algorithmic reasoning, where students tried to remember a suitable algorithm, sometimes in a random way, and guided reasoning, where progress was possible only when essentially all important strategy choices were made by the interviewer.
This paper deals with younger students’ (grade 2 and 5) conceptions about mathematics and mathematics education. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: (1) statements with a Likert-scale; (2) open-end questions where the students could explain further their conceptions; and, (3) a request to draw a picture of yourself doing mathematics. The results from the statements were summarised and the pictures were analysed. Most students in grade 2 had a positive attitude towards mathematics whereas a larger proportion in grade 5 gave negative answers. All students presented mathematics as an individual activity with a focus on the textbook. The elder students narrow the activity down to calculating. A post-questionnaire confirmed the results.
In this paper, we develop an analytical tool for the role of the physical environment in mathematics education. We do this by extending the didactical triangle with the physical environment as a fourth actor and test it in a review of literature concerning the physical environment and mathematics education. We find that one role played by the physical environment, in relation to mathematical content, is to portray the content in focus, such as geometry and scale. When focusing on teachers, students, and the interaction between them, the role of the physical environment appears to be a precondition, either positive (enabling) or negative (hindering). Many of the findings are valid for education in general as well, such as the importance of building status.
Sharing and division are two concepts that have overlapping properties, and both are connected to the interpretation of fairness. In the present study, we study preschool children’s work with a case where eight biscuits were shared between soft toys. The focus is onthe different arguments that the children express. The results show that children use both ethical arguments and mathematical arguments in their solutions. Some of the arguments can be categorised as ‘Fair sharing related to number of pieces only’ or ‘Fair sharing employing ad hoc attempts at equal size’. The arguments that were coded as sharing not associated with mathematical sense of fairness were either classified as ethical reasoning or play. In the discussion, we raise the need of the combination of ethical reasoning and mathematical arguments if we want to create situations for children to develop critical thinking.
This paper explores low performing upper secondary school students’ mathematical reasoning when solving non-routine tasks in pairs. Their solutions were analysed using a theoretical framework about mathematical reasoning and a model to study beliefs as arguments for choices. The results confirm previous research and three themes of beliefs are used by the student. These themes are safety, expectations, and motivation. The results also show a connection between beliefs and imitative reasoning as a way to solve non-routine tasks.
Upper secondary students’ task solving reasoning was analysed, with a focus on what grounds they had for different strategy choices and conclusions. Beliefs were identified and connected with the reasoning that took place. The results indicate that beliefs have an impact on the central decisions made during task solving. Three themes stand out: safety, expectation and motivation.
Previous results show that Swedish upper secondary school teachers attribute gender to cases describing different types of mathematical reasoning. The purpose of this study was to investigate how these teachers gender stereotype aspects of students’ mathematical reasoning by studying the symbols that were attributed to boys and girls, respectively, in a written questionnaire. The results from the content analysis showed that girls were attributed gender symbols including insecurity, use of standard methods and imitative reasoning, and boys were assigned symbols such as multiple strategies especially on the calculator, guessing and chance-taking.
In this paper, I explore four Swedish female mathematicians arguments for why they decided not to work in academia after finishing their PhD. These stories were merged into one narrative, the fictive voice of Sarah. Her story describes life as a female PhD student in a mathematics department as a positive experience. The two main reasons to why she decided not to stay at the university were (1) the difficulty of getting a job, and (2) her wanting to work with applications and problem solving instead of working with the development of theories.
This study examines Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ gendered conceptions about students’ mathematical reasoning: whether reasoning was considered gendered and, if so, which type of reasoning was attributed to girls and boys. The sample consisted of 62 teachers from six different schools from four different locations in Sweden. The results showed that boys were significantly more often attributed to memorised reasoning and delimiting algorithmic reasoning. Girls were connected to gamiliar algorithmic reasoning, a reasoning type where you use standard method when solving a mathematical task. Creative mathematical founded reasoning, which is novel, plausible and founded in mathematical properties, was not considered gendered.
This thesis explores two aspects of mathematical reasoning: affect and gender. I started by looking at the reasoning of upper secondary students when solving tasks. This work revealed that when not guided by an interviewer, algorithmic reasoning, based on memorising algorithms which may or may not be appropriate for the task, was predominant in the students reasoning. Given this lack of mathematical grounding in students reasoning I looked in a second study at what grounds they had for different strategy choices and conclusions. This qualitative study suggested that beliefs about safety, expectation and motivation were important in the central decisions made during task solving. But are reasoning and beliefs gendered? The third study explored upper secondary school teachers conceptions about gender and students mathematical reasoning. In this study I found that upper secondary school teachers attributed gender symbols including insecurity, use of standard methods and imitative reasoning to girls and symbols such as multiple strategies especially on the calculator, guessing and chance-taking were assigned to boys. In the fourth and final study I found that students, both male and female, shared their teachers view of rather traditional feminities and masculinities. Remarkably however, this result did not repeat itself when students were asked to reflect on their own behaviour: there were some discrepancies between the traits the students ascribed as gender different and the traits they ascribed to themselves. Taken together the thesis suggests that, contrary to conceptions, girls and boys share many of the same core beliefs about mathematics, but much work is still needed if we should create learning environments that provide better opportunities for students to develop beliefs that guide them towards well-grounded mathematical reasoning.
The interactions between two pre-school teachers and their students were analysed looking at turn-taking in communication and content in mathematical activities. The results indicate that girls are often placed in the role of help-teachers. Also, the teachers demand more of the girls than the boys. In common talking space boys’ reasoning are more frequently highlighted. Girls are attributed properties such as ‘cute’ and boys ’cool’. The two teachers consider this behaviour as something “that you do”.
This study looks at Swedish preschool teachers conceptions about mathematics and emotional directions towards mathematics. The results indicate that the preschool teachers are positive towards mathematics. When describing what mathematics is at preschool level, most teachers lists mathematical products such as mathematical concepts and procedures in arithmetic and geometry.
In this paper, I explore recreational mathematics from two perspectives. I first study how the concept appears in educational policy documents such as standards, syllabi, and curricula from a selection of countries to see if and in what way recreational mathematics can play a part in school mathematics. I find that recreational mathematics can be a central part, as in the case of India, but also completely invisible, as in the standards from USA. In the second part of the report, I take an educational historical approach. I observe that throughout history, recreational mathematics has been an important tool for learning mathematics. Recreational mathematics is then both a way of bringing pleasure and a tool for learning mathematics. Can it also be a tool for social empowerment?
This study looks at how upper secondary school teachers gender stereotype aspects of students' mathematical reasoning. Girls were attributed gender symbols including insecurity, use of standard methods and imitative reasoning. Boys were assigned the symbols such as multiple strategies especially on the calculator, guessing and chance-taking.
Upper secondary students’ task solving reasoning was analysed with a focus on arguments for strategy choices and conclusions. Passages in their arguments for reasoning that indicated the students’ beliefs were identified and, by using a thematic analysis, categorized. The results stress three themes of beliefs used as arguments for central decisions: safety, expectations and motivation. Arguments such as ‘I don’t trust my own reasoning’, ‘mathematical tasks should be solved in a specific way’ and ‘using this specific algorithm is the only way for me to solve this problem’ exemplify these three themes. These themes of beliefs seem to interplay with each other, for instance in students’ strategy choices when solving mathematical tasks.
This study explores upper secondary school students’ conceptions about gender and affect in mathematics. Two groups of students from Swedish Natural Science Programme each answered a questionnaire; the first with a focus on boys and girls in general and the other with a focus on individuals themselves. The results from two questionnaires were compared. The first questionnaire revealed a view of rather traditional femininities and masculinities, a result that did not repeat itself in the second questionnaire. There was a discrepancy between traits students ascribed as gender different and traits students ascribed to themselves.
This study explores Swedish Natural Science students' conceptions about gender and mathematics. I conducted and compared the results from two questionnaires. The first questionnaire revealed a view of rather traditional feminities and masulinities, a result that did not repeat itself in the second questionnaire. There was a discrepancy between the traits the students ascribed as gender different and the traits they ascribed to themselves.
This paper aims to explain why Swedish female mathematicians decide not to work in academia. The stories of five women were merged into one narrative. Anna describes a struggle with her own self-identity in a gendered structure that most often involved implicit power. One of the main reasons for not working in a mathematics department after finishing their PhD was the difficulty in getting a job without support.
Students’ conceptions about mathematics and mathematics education were investigated with a special focus on emotions and motivation. The results show that both grades describe mathematics education as an individual activity taking place at a school bench with a workbook. But whereas grade 2 students are positively oriented towards mathematics, grade 5 students show a more negative view. Also, the dominance of intrinsic motivation indicated by grade 2 students was not repeated in grade 5, where the responses showed a movement towards extrinsic motivation.
This paper illustrates how young children (age 1–5) use mathematical properties in collective reasoning during free outdoor play. The analysis of three episodes is presented. The results from the analysis of the argumentation show that the children used a variation of mathematical products and procedures, to challenge, support and drive the reasoning forward. When needed, they utilise concrete materials to illustrate and strengthen their arguments, and as an aid in order to reach conclusions. The children also use abstract social constructs, such as jokes, as part of their reasoning.
This paper explores Swedish prospective teachers’ conceptions of what characterise a gifted student in mathematics. This was studied through a qualitative questionnaire focusing on attributions. The results show that a majority of the students attribute intrinsic motivation to gifted students, more often than extrinsic motivation. Other themes were other affective factors (e.g. being industrious), cognitive factors (e.g. easy to learn), and social factors such as good behaviour and background.