Really That’s Probably About Roughly What Goes Down: Hesitancies and Uncertainties in Mathematics Assessment Interactions

Abstract

This research examines how primary school children exhibit uncertainty in their spoken responses to mathematics assessment tasks. Students displayed uncertainty about: what was expected of them in a task; what information was provided; the correctness of their answers, and the exactness of their answers. The use of uncertainty devices and hesitation was related to: the task requirements; the accuracy of what was being proposed; the need to reduce the speaker’s loss of face, and the need to show deference to the listener. Different groups (boys/girls, students from high/low decile schools, Pacific Island/non-Pacific Island students and Year 4/Year 8) expressed hesitations and uncertainties in different ways.