Teachers mediation of metacognition during mathematical problem solving

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Recent national and international assessments single problem solving out as an important but problematic factor in the current mathematical capacities of South African learners. It is evident that the problem escalates as learners progress to the Intermediate Phase. Research indicates a significant link between metacognition and successful mathematical problem solving. From a Vygotskian sociocultural perspective which formed the theoretical framework of this study, metacognition can be regarded as a higher-order function developing through interaction within social and cultural contexts known as mediation. This qualitative collective case study, informed by an interpretivist paradigm, was designed to explore and compare how Foundation and Intermediate Phase mathematics teachers mediate metacognition during mathematical problem solving. It aimed to offer a deeper understanding of the process of mediation, the complex interplay between cognition and metacognition, and how teachers differentiate the mediation process to accommodate diversity among their learners. To address this, two cases were identified involving a sample of six mathematics teachers each of an urban primary school in the Western Cape Province. The first case was Foundation Phase teachers and the second Intermediate Phase teachers. Semi-structured individual interviews, non-participant classroom observations, and semi-structured focus group interviews were used as methods to gather and triangulate data. Themes that emerged from constantly comparing the data informed the findings. The findings suggest that there are cognitive, non-cognitive and contextual factors which could influence the quality and outcomes of the mediation of metacognition during mathematical problem solving in diverse classrooms. It emphasized the significance of the active role the teacher as a more knowledgeable other plays in the mediation process. Furthermore, it underlined the importance of giving learners challenging mathematical problems requiring metacognition within their zones of proximal development. It was also found that the teacher as mediator should not only have the necessary professional knowledge and strategies, but should also consider the affective factors, perceptions and reactions of learners, during the mediation process.Keywords: metacognition, mediation, mathematical problem solving, sociocultural theory, differentiated instruction, Foundation Phase teachers, Intermediate Phase teachers.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University