Over the past thirty years, policies have been enacted at the local and state levels to reform mathematics instruction to be student-centered (see Cohen & Ball, 1990; Resnick, Stein, & Coon, 2008). Despite the wave of instructional reforms, several critical gaps remain in our understanding of student-centered mathematics instruction. First, the field lacks a conceptual framework that relates the underlying theories with student-centered instructional practice in mathematics. Second, there has been very little systematic and large-scale research on the implementation and effects of student-centered mathematics instruction. Third, we know very little about how students experience and respond to the implementation of student-centered
instructional reform.
The dissertation studies aimed to bridge these gaps with two mixed methods studies. Study 1 proposes a conceptual framework of student-centered mathematics instruction and uses a combination of literature review, feedback from experts, and data from a large sample of urban and suburban youth (n= 2,536 students) and their mathematics teachers (n = 34) to validate a student and teacher survey of student-centered mathematics instruction.
Study 2 investigates seventh grade adolescents’ experiences of their mathematics teachers implementing a reform to student-centered instruction. Specifically, the study examines the emotional experience of getting stuck in their algebra coursework and how the frequency and nature of these emotions vary by student characteristics and how students’ emotional experiences influence their sense of competence in math.
The studies have important implications for our understanding of student-centered mathematics instruction. In particular, the studies suggest that students’ perspective and experiences could be important to both the implementation and effects of student-centered mathematics instruction. The studies also suggest mechanisms for differential experiences and effects of student-centered instruction for minority, low-income, and female students. Study findings are discussed in terms of implications for education research, practice, and theory
