Positioning theory as a framework for understanding student engagement in mathematical modeling competencies

Abstract

While mathematical modeling is more prominent in secondary grades, research has demonstrated that elementary learners are also capable of mathematical modeling - the process of translating open-ended, real-world situations into mathematical representations, developing models, generating solutions, and interpreting solutions within the context. Student facility with modeling can be viewed through their engagement in mathematical modeling competencies, the set of skills students use to carry out the modeling process. Although research on mathematical modeling in the elementary grades is still in its infancy, scholars increasingly advocate for providing these learners with greater access to modeling experiences. Elementary students are both capable of and benefit from experiences with mathematical modeling. Situated within the theoretical framework of positioning theory, this study investigated how fourth-grade students engaged in mathematical modeling competencies during group-work conversations. Positioning theory illuminates how students' social interactions shape the positions they enact and, in turn, influence their engagement in modeling competencies. Using two groups of three and four students, this qualitative case study examined how students' use of the task context and their enacted positions influenced their engagement in modeling competencies during group conversations. Findings indicate that student attention to the context of the situation supported their access to and engagement in modeling competencies, particularly when developing mathematical models and generating solutions. Additionally, student positions were linked to differing levels of positional authority that influenced their access to and engagement in modeling competencies. These findings contribute to the limited literature on elementary students' modeling work by illustrating how engagement in modeling competencies is interactionally produced and mediated through positioning and contextual engagement. The study offers implications for theory, practice, and research by extending positioning theory into modeling conversations, supporting teacher facilitation of modeling tasks, and suggesting directions for future research on learning and assessment in elementary mathematical modeling.