An examination of discourse analytic methods in the context of mathematical group work

Abstract

In recent decades, mathematics education scholarship has promoted a shift from traditional teaching and learning approaches to novel approaches that privilege peer-to-peer collaboration. To mobilize researchers towards advancing scholarship on collaborative learning, scholars need to understand the methodologies available to them for examining group work. In this study, I synthesize and critically examine discourse analytic methodologies for analyzing group work in mathematics. Using a systematic review methodology, an initial 576 articles were considered, and 31 articles met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Articles were separated according to their research foci and methodologies were synthesized and critically evaluated. The review provides researchers with methodological options for analyzing group discourse in mathematics.