Methods and behavior of Portuguese students solving algebra problems in pairs

Abstract

The study below took place in Portugal, where secondary school math teachers encountered serious problems when attempting to motivate their students, a large number of whom were indifferent to, and failed, math. Specific pedagogical procedures, designed as experimental case studies facilitating comparisons, allowed us to observe the various approaches the children took to algebra problems as they worked alone or in pairs. The study made manifest the role played by the modalities of relations between the students in each dyad relative to the group’s success in understanding and completing its task. A growing enthusiasm among the students also emerged during the study; once they initiated a dialogue, a series of socio-cognitive interactions, or even conflicts, their attitude to mathematics improved.