Effects of Collaborative Reasoning on Students' Mathematics Performance and Numerical Reasoning Abilities

Abstract

Current reform efforts, which aim to improve the mathematics abilities of American citizens, call for mathematics instruction that emphasizes sense making, reasoning and argumentation. This study was conducted to understand the outcomes of Collaborative Reasoning, a reform-oriented instructional strategy, in seventh and eighth grade mathematics classrooms. An embedded, quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design was used to investigate: the effects of Collaborative Reasoning on students' mathematics performance, and the ways in which students' reasoning abilities change as a result of participating in Collaborative Reasoning. The quantitative results revealed statistically significant changes in mathematics performance from pre-test to post-test. Post-test analysis showed a statistically significant difference in assessment scores, with the treatment group out-performing their comparison group peers. The qualitative results of the study show that as a result of participating in Collaborative Reasoning sessions, students were choosing reasoning strategies that were more appropriate, were using appropriate reasoning strategies more consistently, and were better able to verbally explain their reasoning. Finally, it was found that as students participate in Collaborative Reasoning their discourse becomes less calculational and more conceptual in nature, and more students become active participants within small group discussions.