Meanings and significances expressed by students in the classroom and Mathematics Education research

Abstract

In research on Mathematics Education, attention is often directed toward what is made explicit in the classroom — especially in interactions among students —, seeking meanings and significances that can be evidenced in relation to the investigated phenomenon. In these cases, it is not merely a matter of converting oral or written discourse into synonyms of what was said, but of understanding the significant aspects that underpin understandings, doubts, and gestures, in light of the inquiry to which one seeks to shed light. Understanding what manifests requires the researcher to make explicit a stance or worldview that articulates understandings about the origin of those acts that allow meanings and significances to be given and (re)signified. It is emphasized that the assumed theoretical stance demands a practice in harmony with it, which requires attentive listening that allows meanings to emerge within the students’ lived experiences — instead of being prematurely attributed by the researcher.