Listening to Student Voices

This qualitative study explored fifth graders
perceptions of their mathematics learning within the
context of a reform effort. Students voices are the
focus of this study due to the paucity of literature
on student learning from the students perspective
(Erickson & Shultz, 1992), particularly the
elementary student (Gentilucci, 2004). The
participants of this study, who in the past have been
given a variety of labels including disadvantaged
or at-risk, clearly articulated, even in
nonstandard English, their perceptions of their
mathematics learning. They passionately explained
what helped them learn mathematics as well as what
impeded their mathematics learning and were often
incredibly insightful in their commentary.

Autorentext

Elizabeth S. Hoffman, PhD: Instructor of Elementary Education inthe Teaching and Learning Principles, College of Education at theUniversity of Central Florida.

Klappentext

This qualitative study explored fifth graders'perceptions of their mathematics learning within thecontext of a reform effort. Students' voices are thefocus of this study due to the paucity of literatureon student learning from the students' perspective(Erickson & Shultz, 1992), particularly theelementary student (Gentilucci, 2004). Theparticipants of this study, who in the past have beengiven a variety of labels including "disadvantaged"or "at-risk," clearly articulated, even innonstandard English, their perceptions of theirmathematics learning. They passionately explainedwhat helped them learn mathematics as well as whatimpeded their mathematics learning and were oftenincredibly insightful in their commentary.