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Developing A Contextualization Of Students’ Mathematical Problem Solving, Sean P. Yee, Jonathan Bostic

School of Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This paper investigates how students contextualize mathematical problem solving, not the actual problems. When students attempt to solve problems, what contexts (situational, cultural, or conceptual) do they evoke to describe their experiences with problem solving? The Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice emphasize contextualizing and decontextualizing problems, but what does this mean in practice? Middle and high school students were asked to attempt ability-appropriate problems during semi-structured interviews in this qualitative study. Situational contexts were analyzed using representation analysis (symbolic and nonsymbolic) while cultural contexts were analyzed using linguistic analysis (metaphors). The synergy of these two analyses developed a …