Using innovative research methods to examine student perspectives
Monday 2nd October, 10-11am
Professor Jodie Hunter, Massey University, joins us for a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor lecture.
Charteris Land room 5.11, Moray House School of Education and Sport, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ.
Abstract
There has been increasing awareness of the need for educators to develop and use innovative research methods to build on the voices of diverse groups of early years and primary age children. This requires methodological tools and instruments that are appropriate to use with young children and their families, and which support the identification of non-cognitive factors that have an influence on mathematical development within primary schooling. These tools and instruments need to be suitable for diverse participants across different cultural contexts and socio-economic backgrounds and provide opportunities for educators to take an expanded view of learning settings. In New Zealand and the Pacific region, Professor Hunter leads a programme of research using innovative methodology to focus on student experiences in home, community, and school settings.
In this seminar, we will examine the use of photo-voice and photo-elicitation interviews to position young children and their families to identify and document home and community experiences and activities that involve mathematics. A second key focus will be the use of mixed method approaches to investigate non-cognitive factors that influence equitable engagement in mathematics including values, attitudes, disposition, and well-being. This will include purposefully adapted and designed mixed method approaches including the use of open-response items with mathematical learning statements to investigate values and well-being (for example, to measure the value of utility, “It is important to do maths that is useful for my life outside of school”), drawings, and flexible interview approaches.
Biography
Dr Jodie Hunter is a professor in mathematics education at the Institute of Education at Massey University, New Zealand. Previously she was a Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. Within New Zealand, Jodie co-leads a large-scale professional development and learning project focused on developing culturally-sustaining mathematics pedagogy for Pacific and Māori students. Her research interests include mathematics education for equity and social justice, early algebra, and culturally sustaining pedagogy. Jodie is currently a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor, Rutherford Discovery Fellow and was previously a Fulbright scholar at the University of Arizona.