In this dissertation, I explored the interactional work of three Advanced Placement (AP) mathematics teachers by applying ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA) as the primary methodological approach. The analyses focused on teachers’ facilitation of mathematics discussions in the context of the sequential progression of classroom interaction. This study was situated in two public high schools located in suburban communities in the Midwestern region of the United States. The data included video and audio recordings of three consecutive lessons in the middle of the academic year from each class. Findings from this dissertation are threefold and organized as three chapters in this dissertation. Chapter 2 presents how the teachers initiated and supported minoritized students’ participation in collective argumentation. Chapter 3 details teachers’ use of partner talk and examines how the teachers facilitated a focused and accountable space for mathematics discussions. Lastly, Chapter 4 focuses on the context of the AP Exam and examines how the institutional context of high-stakes testing afforded the teachers to position their students as particular kinds of learners. The overall contributions of this dissertation are detailing some of the discourse practices in existing frameworks for mathematics classroom discourse, offering insights into when-questions as well as how-questions, and highlighting the importance of mutuality and reciprocity of social interactions to understand teachers’ facilitation of classroom discussions. I conclude by suggesting other potential ways to further the understanding of mathematics classroom discourse from EMCA approaches.
Read
