Detecting Students' Experiences of Discontinuities Between Middle School and High School Mathematics Programs: Learning During Boundary Crossing

Transitions from middle school to high school mathematics programs can be problematic for students due to potential differences between instructional approaches and curriculum materials. Given the minimal research on how students experience such differences, we report on the experiences of two stude...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mathematical thinking and learning 2012-10, Vol.14 (4), p.285-309
Main Authors: Jansen, Amanda, Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth, Smith, John P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude Change
Boundary crossing
Case studies
Critical thinking
Curricula
Curriculum materials
Discontinuties
Educational change
Educational Environment
High School Students
High Schools
Identity formation
Instructional design
Instructional Materials
Interviews
Learning
Longitudinal Studies
Mathematics Curriculum
Mathematics education
Mathematics Skills
Middle School Students
Middle Schools
Middle secondary transition
Participant Observation
Secondary education
Secondary School Mathematics
Secondary school students
Student Attitudes
Student experience
Teaching Methods
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Transitions from middle school to high school mathematics programs can be problematic for students due to potential differences between instructional approaches and curriculum materials. Given the minimal research on how students experience such differences, we report on the experiences of two students as they moved out of an integrated, problem-based mathematics program in their middle school into a high school mathematics program that emphasized procedural fluency. We conducted an average of two interviews per year for two and a half years with participants and engaged in participant-observation at their high school. In this study, we illustrate an analytic process for detecting discontinuities between settings from participants' perspectives. We determined that students experienced a discontinuity if they reported meaningful differences between settings (frequent mention, in detail, with emphasis terms) and concurrently reported a change in attitude. Additionally, these students' experiences illustrate two opportunities to learn during boundary-crossing experiences: identification and reflection.
ISSN:1098-6065
1532-7833
DOI:10.1080/10986065.2012.717379