Keywords

students with disabilities, ethnography, self-determination, high-level mathematics tasks, collaboration

Abstract

The goal of this ethnographic research study was to illuminate and analyze how one group of students, some identified with disabilities, experienced learning in an inclusive mathematics classroom. The data collection took place in one second-grade general education classroom. An interactional ethnographic approach was used to analyze the motivations of students with disabilities for participating when presented with high-level mathematics tasks within the classroom, as indicated by the Instruction Quality Assessment toolkit. I used Self-Determination Theory as a lens to analyze how students’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness impacted their participation. From informants' self-reported perceptions of self-determination through an initially adapted Basic Psychological Needs Assessment survey, I focused my observations on what might impact student motivation or willingness to participate. By uncovering what collaboration and participation looked like in this classroom, as described by key informants and evidenced through their discursive actions, I used a domain and taxonomic analysis to construct and organize my findings. Two taxonomies were constructed, ways to get help and ways to give help, based on informants’ constructions of 1) how to collaborate within their group and 2) how to communicate during a mathematical disagreement. The analysis disclosed two ways of getting help and six ways of giving help. Participation was consistent during high-level or low-level tasks presented by the teacher during collaborative time. The findings revealed that informants preferred the role of giving help and often refused help from group members. There are two major conclusions of this work: 1) There is a need for analysis of student discourse during mathematical disagreements, as students get, give, and refuse help; and 2) Perspectives of students with disabilities in inclusive mathematics classrooms should continue to be explored with efforts to promote mathematical agency in all learners.

Completion Date

2024

Semester

Summer

Committee Chair

Bush, Sarah

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Degree Program

Curriculum and Instruction

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028608

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028608

Language

English

Rights

In copyright

Release Date

August 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

Campus Location

UCF Online

Accessibility Status

Meets minimum standards for ETDs/HUTs

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Restricted to the UCF community until August 2025; it will then be open access.

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