Publication: A qualitative case study on the social construction of ideas in mathematical problem solving
Abstract
The central focus of this thesis concerns the mediation and appropriation of ideas. The thesis describes how this appropriation of ideas can take place through the dialogue between two pairs of students as they solved mathematical problems. This dialogue takes place in the context of a computer-mediated environment. The findings of this thesis were derived from a qualitative research using case studies to investigate the processes through which students engage in the social construction of mathematical meanings. The major contributions include: (1) the processes for the appropriation of ideas leading to a proposed conceptual framework; (2) the different levels of appropriation involved in meaning transaction; (3) the mediating actions for such a transactional process; (4) the transactional processes moving across the boundary of dialogue, hermeneutics interpretation, and appropriation; and (5) the implications for a transactional basis for learning based on the findings.