ERIC Number: ED658398
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Learning Assistant-Student Interaction in Calculus: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Rebecca Butler; Orly Buchbinder
North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (45th, Reno, NV, Oct 1-4, 2023)
Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate peer-tutors who, having successfully passed a particular course, return to assist with teaching that course. Through their work across many STEM courses, LAs have been shown to have positive effects on several student outcomes, but little is known about why LAs' presence in classrooms is positively associated with these outcomes. This study provides a novel perspective on this issue by critically analyzing a portion of classroom dialog between an LA and a student in a Calculus I course. The language used by these interlocutors was analyzed with attention to the social and informational aspects of the dialog, examining both the relationship between the student and the LA, and the ways they frame mathematical content. These findings have implications for the future study of LAs' practice and bear relevance to the improvement of LA educational programs. [For the complete proceedings, see ED658295.]
Descriptors: Calculus, Mathematics Instruction, Discourse Analysis, Undergraduate Students, Peer Teaching, Tutors, Outcomes of Education, Educational Practices, Dialogs (Language), Language Usage, Teaching Methods, Course Content, State Universities, Best Practices, Form Classes (Languages), Science Teachers, College Faculty
North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. e-mail: pmena.steeringcommittee@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.pmena.org/
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2013427