The role of value alignment in engagement and (dis)engagement in mathematics learning

Abstract

Disengagement in mathematics education has been a growing concern in Australia and internationally. Lowered engagement with mathematics has many consequences, such as creating a need to fill occupations that require the use of high level mathematics, reducing the range of higher education courses available to students through exclusion from courses requiring specific levels of mathematics, and limiting one’s capacity to understand life from a mathematical perspective. This study aims to examine the student values that support and inhibit their engagement in primary mathematics lessons and how the interaction between teachers’ values expressed in classroom practice and students’ values impact on (dis)engagement in primary mathematics learning. The research design is mainly qualitative in nature. The study involved four participant teachers (two from each of two participating primary schools), and 16 of their students (eight from each participating school). Case studies were then conducted involving discussions, lesson observations, and interviews. A conclusive research method that could be used to determine an individual’s values has not yet been determined. In this study, a decision was made to study behaviors that suggested value orientations of each participant. When there was a change in activity during a lesson, behaviors were particularly noted that suggested value orientations. Four strategies are suggested from this study that teachers use to align value orientation with students in an attempt to engage or reengage learners: scaffolding, equilibrium, intervention, and refuge. Each strategy refers to the amount of values that a teacher retains during a critical incident, and how the conflict is solved to create a harmonious working environment. This study supports the notions that disengagement is not a permanent state, and the term “situated engagement” is suggested. The student participants observed in this study showed signs of engagement and disengagement that depended on their value orientations and the classroom practice. This finding questions the usefulness of labelling students as “disengaged,” for example, as this state fluctuates. Therefore, in this study the term “(dis)engaged” was adopted instead. The aligned value orientations of the teacher and the students suggest effective classroom practice that promotes engagement in mathematics learning.