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Social Representations of High School Students About Mathematics Assessment

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Abstract

The perceptions of students about assessment in mathematics classes have been sparsely investigated. In order to fill this gap, this qualitative study aims to identify the social representations (understood as the system of values, ideas, and practices about a social object) of high school students regarding assessment in mathematics. We used semistructured focus group interviews to obtain data (N = 50). The data were examined using theoretical thematic analysis with the assistance of the specialized ATLAS.ti software. Eight themes or social representations emerged (e.g., assessment that measures the students’ learning or assessment that measures the advances or what has been acquired). The results are consistent with literature that shows that students’ representations about assessment in mathematics are closely linked to their representations of mathematics itself and the learning of it and also to their representation of what is fair and what is not.

Résumé

La perception des étudiants au sujet des évaluations dans les cours de mathématiques a fait l’objet de peu d’études à ce jour. Pour combler cette lacune, cette étude qualitative vise à identifier les représentations sociales (entendues comme le système de valeurs, les idées et les pratiques qui entourent un objet social) des étudiants du secondaire à l’égard de « l’évaluation en mathématiques ». Pour obtenir nos données nous nous sommes servis d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès d’un groupe cible (N = 50). Les données ont fait l’objet d’une analyse thématique théorique au moyen du logiciel spécialisé Atlas.ti. Huit thèmes ou représentations sociales ressortent de cette analyse (par exemple, « évaluation qui mesure l’apprentissage des étudiants », ou encore « évaluation qui mesure les progrès, ou les connaissances acquises »). Les résultats sont en accord avec la littérature, qui montre que la représentation de l’évaluation en mathématiques chez les étudiants est étroitement liée à leurs représentations des mathématiques elles-mêmes et de l’apprentissage des mathématiques, mais aussi à leur représentation de ce qui est juste ou injuste.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematics Academic Unit (Guerrero State, Mexico), Research Centre of Mathematics Education, Autonomous University of Guerrero, #694 Col. Irrigación Del. Miguel Hidalgo, 11500, México, D.F., México

    Gustavo Martínez-Sierra, María E. Valle-Zequeida & Crisólogo Dolores-Flores

  2. High School Education Institute, Mexico City, Mexico

    Marisa Miranda-Tirado

Authors
  1. Gustavo Martínez-Sierra
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  2. María E. Valle-Zequeida
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  3. Marisa Miranda-Tirado
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  4. Crisólogo Dolores-Flores
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Correspondence to Gustavo Martínez-Sierra.

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Martínez-Sierra, G., Valle-Zequeida, M.E., Miranda-Tirado, M. et al. Social Representations of High School Students About Mathematics Assessment. Can J Sci Math Techn 16, 247–258 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2015.1119336

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