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A comparison of meaning negotiation during collaborative problem solving in mathematics between students in China and Australia

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Abstract

In this paper, we report on the cross-cultural comparative analysis that was undertaken as part of the Social Unit of Learning project investigating student collaborative problem solving in China and Australia. The video-based research examined the ‘negotiative foci’ of dyadic student interaction during collaborative problem solving within the mathematics classroom setting. In the analysis we take negotiative focus as the central construct and compare the student interactions in terms of their focus on either facts and procedures, didactical norms, or social/interpersonal considerations. We report on the analysis based on an open-ended pair task (Household task) that was completed by year 7 students (mostly 12- to 13-year olds) in China and Australia. In the study we analysed the video and written responses of 20 student pairs from three year 7 classes in China (40 students in total) and 25 student pairs from two year 7 classes in Australia (50 students in total). The findings from this comparative study provide empirical evidence regarding how the participating students in each country interpreted and negotiated meaning as they tackled the open-ended task collaboratively.

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Notes

  1. 三段五环 literally translates to “three stages and five sections”. The term describes a particular teaching method that was introduced to some schools in China as a teaching reform. The three stages refer to an overall lesson organisation that involves “before lesson extension”, “during lesson exploration”, and “after lesson extension” (课前延伸–课内探究–课后延伸). The five sections refer to the overall flow of a lesson that involves “scene setting”, “self learning”, “collaborative inquiring”, “lecturing and summarisng”, and “effective practicing” (情景导入–自主学**–合作探究–点播归纳–有效训练)". This teaching approach therefore encourages student self learning and collaborative learning. It was not a widely adopted and documented teaching approach in China at the time of the data collection.

  2. The coding manual is provided as Supplementary Material for readers.

  3. Pseudonyms are used to ensure student anonymity.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the students, parents, teachers, and school staff in Australia and China for their invaluable support of the project. We would also like to sincerely acknowledge Professor David Clarke’s vision and leadership in conceptualising and implementing this international research project.

Funding

This study was funded by the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme [Project number DP170102541].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education for the Future, Bei**g Normal University, Zhuhai, China

    Shu Zhang

  2. School of Mathematical Sciences, Bei**g Normal University, Bei**g, China

    Yiming Cao

  3. International Center for Research in Mathematics Education, Faculty of Education, Bei**g Normal University, Bei**g, China

    Yiming Cao

  4. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

    Man Ching Esther Chan & May Ee Vivien Wan

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  1. Shu Zhang
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  2. Yiming Cao
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Correspondence to Shu Zhang.

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Zhang, S., Cao, Y., Chan, M.C.E. et al. A comparison of meaning negotiation during collaborative problem solving in mathematics between students in China and Australia. ZDM Mathematics Education 54, 287–302 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-022-01335-9

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