Guida de Abreu

Relationships between Macro and Micro Socio-Cultural Contexts: Implications for the Study of Interactions in the Mathematics Classroom.

In this paper I attempt to clarify how the relationship between macro and micro social contexts has been addressed in the Vygotskian and Neo-Piagetian approaches to learning. For each approach I look at how key scholars (Cole, 1977; Perret-Clermont, Perret and Bell, 1991) come to view context as central to their theories of cognitive development. In order to illustrate my review of the dominant strands of empirical research I refer to studies that focus on the uses, learning and understanding of mathematics. I start the paper with the socio-cultural Vygotskian approach. This is closely associated with my own research into the relationship between culture and learning. Not surprisingly, I find biases in this body of research in terms of the macro and micro features of contexts which were analysed. In an attempt to gain insights into alternative ways of conceptualising these relationships I explore work which has adopted a socio-psychological approach. In the final part of the paper I discuss how these insights can be used to broaden our basis for studying interactions in the mathematics classroom and conclude by relating my ideas to new developments in socio-cultural theory.In this paper I attempt to clarify how the relationship between macro and micro social contexts has been addressed in the Vygotskian and Neo-Piagetian approaches to learning. For each approach I look at how key scholars (Cole, 1977; Perret-Clermont, Perret and Bell, 1991) come to view context as central to their theories of cognitive development. In order to illustrate my review of the dominant strands of empirical research I refer to studies that focus on the uses, learning and understanding of mathematics. I start the paper with the socio-cultural Vygotskian approach. This is closely associated with my own research into the relationship between culture and learning. Not surprisingly, I find biases in this body of research in terms of the macro and micro features of contexts which were analysed. In an attempt to gain insights into alternative ways of conceptualising these relationships I explore work which has adopted a socio-psychological approach. In the final part of the paper I discuss how these insights can be used to broaden our basis for studying interactions in the mathematics classroom and conclude by relating my ideas to new developments in socio-cultural theory.

The social mediation of learning in multiethnic schools: Introduction

The ethnic diversity within schools is a major challenge for education in most European countries. The diversity of cultural backgrounds of students and parents leads to new transitions, enables new forms of participation, and demands the creation of new concepts, values and practices. Processes of mediation have a vital place in the required developments. The contributions to this issue study the relationship between learning and social mediation on three levels: (1) the mediating role of cultural tools, in particular language and the curriculum, (2) the role of peers and teachers in the appropriation of cultural tools by minority students, and (3) the mediating role of social representations in the shaping of students’ identities at school.RésuméLa diversité ethnique dans les écoles est un défi majeur pour l’éducation dans la plupart des pays européens. La diversité des cadres culturels des élèves et des parents amène de nouvelles transitions, permet de nouvelles formes de participation, et demande la création de nouveaux concepts, valeurs et pratiques. Les processus de médiation ont une place vitale dans les développements requis. Les contributions à ce numéro spécial examinent la relation entre l’apprentissage et la médiation sociale sur trois niveaux: (1) le rôle médiateur des outils culturels, en particulier le langage et le curriculum, (2) le rôle des camarades et des instituteurs dans l’appropriation des outils culturels par les élèves minoritaires, et (3) le rôle médiateur des représentations sociales dans la formation des identités des élèves à l’école.

Parents’ past experiences as a mediational tool for understanding their child’s current mathematical learning

This article explores the ways in which parents use their own past experiences as a mediational tool for understanding their child’s current school learning. Following a sociocultural approach parents’ past experiences were examined drawing on the notions of (1) heterochronicity, which looks at the partially overlapping histories of the individual and society and (2) prolepsis whereby the imagined future mediates and constrains the world of the present. The analysis draws on 22 interviews with parents whose children were from three primary multiethnic schools in a town in the Southeast of England. The findings brought to light the means by which parents can either intentionally or unintentionally use the past to inform their current representations and practices. Thus at times they use their past experiences to mediate internalisation (reproduction of the experience), at other times they use them to promote externalisation (change brought about by the experience). It is within this process that parents projected a future ideal for their child, which was either congruent or discordant with their own past.RésuméCet article explore les façons que les parents ont d’utiliser leurs propres expériences passées comme des outils médiateurs pour la compréhension de l’apprentissage scolaire de leurs enfants. Suivant une approche socio-culturelle les expériences des parents ont été examinés à partir des notions de (1) hétérochronicité, considérant les histoires partiellement superposées des individus et de la société, et (2) prolepsis, par lequel le futur imaginé agit comme élément médiateur et constructif du monde du présent. L’analyse se base sur 22 entrevues avec des parents d’enfants de trois écoles primaires dans une ville du sud-est de l’Angleterre. Les résultats montrent les moyens à travers lesquels les parents peuvent, soit intentionnellement ou involontairement, utiliser le passé pour façonner leurs représentations et pratiques actuelles. Ainsi, parfois ils utilisent leurs expériences passées comme médiateurs d’internalisation (reproduction de l’expérience), et dans des autres occasions, ils les utilisent pour favoriser l’externalisation (changement apporté par l’expérience). C’est par ce processus que les parents projetaient un future idéal pour leurs enfants, qui était soit congru ou discordant avec leur propre passé.

The problem of interpretation in vignette methodology in research with young people

In this article, we explore how interpretation is dealt with by researchers using a vignette methodology. Researchers using vignette methodology often struggle with interpretation: how to interpret the responses when participants shift between discussing the vignettes as themselves, taking the perspective of the character in the vignette and commenting on what ‘ought’ to happen. We argue that by foregrounding a consideration of the method with an explicitly articulated theoretical position of dialogicality, issues inherent in interpretation become a valuable addition to the research rather than an obstacle to be overcome. In this article, we discuss ‘Louise’ a young carer, detailing the various positions she takes in her talk about the vignette of Mary, a fictitious young carer, to illustrate how a perspective based in dialogical theory contributed to the analysis of her various moves through different identity positions.

Drawing on the Notion of Symbolic Resources in Exploring the Development of Cultural Identities in Immigrant Transitions

This paper examines the processes by which cultural identities develop through the use of symbolic resources (Zittoun, 2006). The notion of symbolic resources provides a framework that enables one to consider developmental transitions between practices and between historical times. For Portuguese students, these transitions initially involved a rupture, a loss of social resources and linguistic resources, which resulted in a cultural awareness. This cultural awareness led to alterations in the positioning of their cultural selves, either by themselves personally or by others. Social resources mediated access to new symbolic resources, and this included experiencing the ‘other’ as constructive and meaningful to the self. This ‘other’ became symbolic and thus the physical presence of that person is not necessarily needed. We argue that in order to comprehend cultural identity development, the notion of symbolic resources can be extended to include the social resource as that which is ‘symbolic’.

Maintaining Continuity in a Cultural Contact Zone: Identification Strategies in the Dialogical Self

In this article we argue that the societal-level change caused by the creation of cultural contact zones due to increased immigration has implications for nationals’ cultural identities. We propose that the resultant instability of cultural I-positions demands the development of identification strategies in the Dialogical Self (Hermans, 2001a) that will enable the individual to maintain their identity continuity. Our focus involves a detailed textual analysis of three case studies of Irish nationals to investigate what identification strategies are used and to examine the sign-use these strategies employ. Using insights from Cultural Continuity Theory (Chandler & Lalonde, 1998), this article discusses the relevance of societal level processes to the Dialogical Self (Hermans, 2001a).

‘I Am a Human Being like You’: An Identification Strategy to Maintain Continuity in a Cultural Contact Zone

In this article, we discuss a qualitative study carried out in a cultural contact zone. Irish nationals, immigrants, and asylum seekers in Cork, Ireland, were interviewed about their cultural identities and future trajectories. Cultural Continuity theory was used as a model to offer an insight into the processes and strategies of the Dialogical Self. The results suggest that the development of a cultural contact zone caused a break in cultural continuity which aroused uncertainty. Our analytical focus is on one of the strategies that enabled the individuals to alleviate that uncertainty. The suggestive preliminary results are that each participant, within each group, utilized their dialogical ‘I as a human being’ identity position to maintain continuity. The function of this strategy and the theoretical integration are discussed.

Constructing Identities in Multicultural Learning Contexts

In this article we examine two concepts that aid our understanding of processes of identification in multiethnic schools. The first concept focuses on the complementarity of “three processes of identity” (identifying the other, being identified, and self-identification). This is brought together with the concept of sociocultural coupling introduced to examine the co-constructions of changes in practices (across places and times) and changes in identification. The analysis draws on an interview with a pupil, Monifa, a Black African (Nigerian) girl (aged 10 years), and on an interview with a Pakistani teacher, Shazia. Although Shazia and Monifa belonged to different generations (i.e., a pupil/daughter and a teacher/mother) and different cultural groups (British-born Black African and Pakistani Kashmiri), the same identity processes could be applied to the data. They both articulated accounts of “identifying the other,” “being identified,” and “self-identification,” which emphasized their transitions between cultural practices and multiple communities. Furthermore, we propose that sociocultural coupling has enabled us to understand the means by which aspects of cultural practices borrowed from home and school allows them to reproduce aspects of their home cultural identity and at other times to transform these identities.

Mathematics Learners in Transition

Formal, non-formal and informal mathematics education practices continue to evolve through globalisation and through the use of technology and the WWW. They do so in response to the need for more mathematics to be learnt by increasing numbers of students, both school students and adults. As these practices develop, and as adult education and life-long education grow in importance, along with their mathematical versions, there is an increasing need for mathematics education to move away from ideas and practices based on traditional child development theories and normative ideas. This is particularly important if research in mathematics education is to continue to have relevance and influence in these new and diverse fields of activity. In the last two decades educational and psychological research studies on social, cultural and political aspects of mathematics learning, have raised awareness of the complexities of the process of learning and using mathematics in specific sociocultural practices (see for instance, Bishop, 1988a, 1988b, 1994; Secada, 1992; Van Oers & Forman, 1998, Cobb & Bauersfeld, 1995; Lerman, 1994). On the other hand such studies have also indicated the potential of this field for informing and developing teaching practices at all levels of mathematics education.

“Silent” monologues, “loud” dialogues and the emergence of hibernated I-positions in the negotiation of multivoiced cultural identities

Drawing on dialogical self theory (Hermans, 2001) and employing a case study approach, this article aims to provide insights into the dialogical processes through which two British-born siblings of Pakistani background construct and negotiate their cultural identities. The analysis suggests that both young people were moving towards their multivoiced cultural identities through a constant positioning and re-positioning within their communities, which resulted in dialogical negotiation of aspects of differences/similarities and belonging within their majority and minority communities as well as living in a multicultural society. When their negotiation is a struggle shaped by issues of racism and religious discrimination, two opposing processes are constructed, a dynamic dialogical and a monological one. We introduce the notion of hibernated I-positions as a resource to deal with rapid change, threat and uncertainty. I-positions that are inactive, or are in a hibernated state and silenced, are always available to re-emerge and become engaged in a new dialogue to help retain identity continuity. In this article, we challenge linear assumptions which assume that all immigrant groups undergo the same kind of psychological acculturation process.