Tingyi Xiao
Research Mentor: Amanda Brown
Mentor Department: Educational Studies, Education
Author(s): Not Available
Session: Session 5 (2:00 PM – 2:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Abstract
Teachers often encounter mathematically valid but non-canonical student solutions in algebra classrooms. In these situations, teachers must decide how to respond while navigating normative expectations about what counts as legitimate mathematical work. This study focuses on norm obligation, conceptualized as teachers’ felt responsibility to uphold instructional norms such as canonical solution methods. The data come from scenario-based prompts in which secondary algebra teachers describe how they would respond to student solutions that deviate from canonical approaches. Teachers’ responses were coded for linguistic function (open vs. close; confront, support, invite) and justification type. While multiple justification categories are included in the analysis, the primary focus of this study is on norm-based justifications. Using visualization and logistic regression models, I examine how norm-based justifications are associated with teachers’ instructional moves relative to other justification types. The results show that norm-based justifications are strongly associated with closed and confrontational instructional responses. Compared with other justification types, norm-based justifications significantly increase the likelihood that teachers enact closing moves rather than supportive or invitational ones. These findings suggest that when teachers justify their decisions with reference to instructional norms, classroom discourse is more likely to move toward closure rather than exploration.
