CAREER: Examining the role of context in the mathematical learning of young children

该项目涉及一个纵向的，人种学研究儿童的数学表现，从学前班到一年级，在正式的课堂环境和非正式的设置在学校和家庭。这项研究的拟议地点是一个小型的，主要是非洲裔美国人的pk-12学校。该研究旨在确定幼儿在多种背景下的数学学习机会，映射幼儿数学能力的不同表现，图表幼儿数学表现随时间的变化，并设计和评估案例研究对教师教育的影响，探索幼儿的数学能力。研究问题的重点是数学学习的机会，在各种情况下，儿童的知识，技能的发展，并随着时间的推移，合格的数学表现的特点，和案例研究的作用，帮助开始教师了解年轻的少数民族儿童的数学思维。收集的数据将包括课堂活动的录像带，正式和非正式环境的书面现场记录，学生的工作，家长焦点小组成绩单，和孩子的面试表现。分析将涉及专题编码和案例研究的构建。该项目的总体目标是改变研究人员思考和研究少数民族儿童数学学习以及这些儿童所经历的学校教育质量的方式。

This project involves a longitudinal, ethnographic study of children's mathematical performances from preschool to first grade in both formal classroom settings and informal settings at school and home. The proposed site for the study is a small, predominately African-American pk-12 school. The study seeks to identify opportunities for mathematical learning by young children across multiple contexts, to map varied performances of mathematical competence by young children, to chart changes in young children's mathematical performance over time, and to design and assess the impact of case studies for teacher education that explore young children's mathematical competencies. Research questions focus on mathematical opportunities for learning in various contexts, children's development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions over time, the characteristics of competent mathematical performances, and the role of case studies in helping beginning teachers to understand young minority children's mathematical thinking. Data collected will include video tapes of classroom activities, written fieldnotes of formal and informal settings, student work, parent focus group transcripts, and children's interview performances. Analysis will involve both thematic coding and construction of case studies. The overarching goal of this project is to transform the ways that researchers think about and study the mathematical learning of young minority children as well as the quality of schooling these children experience.