Exploring Mathematical Argumentation of Primary School Children

A Cultural Comparative Perspective between Germany and Taiwan

The international mathematics standards as well as mathematics educators recommend the importance of developing argumentation and proof in school mathematics from early grades on. In Germany “Mathematical argumentation” is a process standard that ought to be implemented throughout school education in mathematics beginning with primary education. In Taiwan, on the other hand, mathematical argumentation is not an obligatory guideline in the curriculum in Taiwan, but is still highly recommended by Taiwanese mathematics educators.

Current research on mathematical argumentation focuses on different contexts (e.g., number and operations, geometry), and age groups (secondary school students, university students, pre- and inservice teacher). There is only a limited number of studies that attends to mathematical argumentation at the primary level. Moreover, no international cultural comparative study on the primary level focusing on mathematical argumentation exists to our knowledge.

The purpose of this project is, therefore, to investigate Taiwanese and German primary students’ argumentation. Specifically, we want examine different processes and levels of argumentation. However, in order to understand students’ argumentation (i.e., performance) influencing factors, such as textbook analysis, analysis of instructional approaches focusing on argumentation, teachers’ conceptions of argumentation, have to be taken into consideration. Thus, we focus on students’ argumentation and compare this to the teachers’ conceptions of argumentation in order to open a dialogue about the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of argumentation and their classroom practice given through students’ performance lenses within and between Germany and Taiwan.

The planned project pursues the following goals:

  • to examine the similarities and differences in students’ argumentation between Taiwan and Germany
  • to examine the similarities and differences in teachers’ conceptions of argumentation between Taiwan and Germany
  • to characterize the relationship between students’ argumentation and the teachers’ conception of argumentation in each country
  • to identify cultural-societal influenced determinants influencing the differences in in students’ argumentation and in teachers’ conceptions of argumentation

Ana Kuzle, Peter Klöpping (University of Potsdam)
Pi-Jen Lin (National Hsinchu University of Education, Taiwan)

Publications

Klöpping, P., Kuzle, A., & Lin, P.-J. (in press). Mathematisches Argumentieren in der Grundschule: eine kulturelle Vergleichsperspektive zwischen Deutschland und Taiwan. To appear in Beiträge zum Mathematikunterricht 2018. Münster: WTM-Verlag.

Klöpping, P., & Kuzle, A. (in press). Critical incidents shaping teachers’ conceptions of argumentation in primary education. To appear in Proceedings of the 42nd Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Umea, Sweden: PME.

Master thesis

Schröder, A. (2017). Evaluierung eines Erhebungsinstrumentes zur Analyse mathematischer Argumentationskompetenzen von Grundschulkindern. Master Thesis. Universität Potsdam.

Richter, L. (2018). Analyse von mathematischen Argumentieren in der Grundschule aus Schüler- und Lehrersicht am Beispiel der Zahlenfolgeaufgaben. Master Thesis. Universität Potsdam.