Browsing by Author "Tiilikainen, Anni"

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to get a perception of pupil interaction in a small group during a mathematical problem solving process. The goal is to study the interaction in two different groups and in that way find out what kind of elements are there in the interaction, so that a teacher could support it in the best possible way. Earlier research has shown that high quality peer interaction and small group learning enhances learning and growth. On the other hand studies show that small group interaction demands teacher's guidance to be effective and can also disturb the work. Many researchers recommend small group work especially as a method of problem solving. Methods. This is a mixed methods case study. The research questions were answered by observing two recorded problem solving lessons. The research material was a video recording from the Finland-Chile-project, a lesson during which fourth grade pupils solve a mathematical problem in small groups. The problem solving process was analysed using problem solving models created by Pólya (1957), Schoenfeld (1985) and Mason (1982) and the group interaction was analysed with Interaction process analysis (Bales, 1951). Results and conclusions. For the group of girls both the problem solving process and the group interaction were convergent with earlier research, and the group of boys had problems with both. Central ways of interaction for both groups were joking and giving opinion, and the group of girls also showed a lot of acceptance. The social structure was similar in both groups, but the group of boys had bigger differences in the division of work and roles. The interaction and the roles in both groups changed between the problem solving phases.