Abstracts - Earli

Investigating teachers’ approaches towards mathematical problem-solving and its relationshipwith individuals’ conceptions: A videobased study in sixth gradeFien Depaepe, University of Leuven, BelgiumErik De Corte, University of Leuven, BelgiumLieven Verschaffel, University of Leuven, BelgiumDuring the last decades, a worldwide consensus grew that - instead of focusing on the acquisitionof definitions, formulae and procedures - mathematics education should mainly aim at students’understanding, mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills, attitudes and the disposition touse their skills in real-life situations. This reform movement was also influential in Flanders andresulted in the formulation of new standards for primary mathematics education. Meanwhile, thesereform-based ideas have led to a new generation of textbooks for mathematics education inFlanders. This study reports on a seven-month-long observational study in two sixth-gradeclassrooms in Flanders in which the same mathematical reform-based textbook Eurobasis is used.We investigated whether – and if so, how – teachers fostered in students a metacognitive approachtowards applied mathematical problem solving. In line with the textbook, we focused on theexplicit and implicit reference to the metacognitive strategy developed in a previous study byVerschaffel et al. (1999) consisting of five stages: (1) build a mental representation of the problem,(2) decide how to solve the problem, (3) execute the necessary calculations, (4) interpret theoutcome and formulate the answer, and (5) evaluate the solution. By subjecting all students to anin-depth interview, we investigated how the instructional approach towards such a metacognitivestrategy affects students’ perceptions and evaluations of the use of that strategy while solvingmathematical application problems. We observed differences in both teachers’ approaches towardsmathematical problem solving: the first teacher used the tasks as a vehicle to meet higher ordergoals (i.e., (meta)cognitive skills), whereas the second teacher focused on students’ acquisition ofthe procedures to come to the right solution. Moreover, we found evidence for the impact ofclassroom practices on students’ individual conceptions concerning the value of a metacognitiveapproach towards mathematical application problems.Constructing psychology: identity and discourse in an online community of practiceCarlo Perrotta, University of Bath, United KingdomThe paper reports a study based on the application of James Gee’s concept of recognition work tosome of the discursive dynamics identified in an online CoP (Community of Practice). Discourseanalysis was carried out on 20 online discussions (or "threads") and to 23 semi-structuredinterviews to understand whether, and how, a common professional identity was constructed. Thefindings demonstrate that the notion of recognition work can account for how identities areconstructed and negotiated through discourse in CoPs, and suggest that more research is needed tounderstand the potential of computer-mediated communication in the recognition work ofidentities.– 550 –