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

该项目涉及对从幼儿园到一年级的儿童在正式课堂环境和学校和家庭的非正式环境中的数学表现进行纵向的民族志研究。这项研究的拟议地点是一所以非裔美国人为主的小型幼儿园-12学校。本研究旨在确定幼儿在多种情况下学习数学的机会，绘制幼儿数学能力的不同表现，绘制幼儿数学表现随时间变化的图表，并设计和评估案例研究对探索幼儿数学能力的教师教育的影响。研究问题集中在不同环境下的数学学习机会，儿童知识、技能和性格的发展，合格数学表现的特征，以及案例研究在帮助初级教师理解少数民族儿童数学思维方面的作用。收集的数据将包括课堂活动的录像带、正式和非正式场合的书面现场记录、学生作业、家长焦点小组记录和儿童访谈表现。分析将包括专题编码和案例研究的构建。该项目的首要目标是改变研究人员思考和研究少数民族儿童数学学习的方式，以及这些儿童所经历的学校教育质量。

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.