Contextual Factors in the Open Approach-Based Mathematics Classroom Affecting Development of Students’ Metacognitive Strategies

Abstract

The objective of this research was to study the effect that contextual factors have on the development of students’ metacognitive strategies in the open approach-based mathematics classroom: the framework for learning and teaching activities in the class, the teacher’s role, and students’ role. The methodology was based on ethnographic research and Begle’s conceptual framework (1969), which focused on observation and study on the nature of occurrences. In the context, the researcher conducted participatory classroom o bservation. The target groups were a mathematics teacher, who is a student as a math teaching practi tioner, and four elementary school students at Grade 1 ranging from 6 to 7 years of age from Koo Kham Pittayasan School. Data w ere collected from 3 learning units totaling 6 study periods. Qualitative data analysis procedures were based on analyzing videos, protocols, students’ written work, and time units for dealing with activities and narrative description. The concept of 4 open approach-based teaching steps (Inprasitha, 2010) was considered for the analysis of the teacher’s teaching behavior and students’ prob lem solving behavior. The study findings suggest that contextual factors in the open approach-based mathematics classroom affect the development of students’ metacognitive strategies in which the teacher has planned learning management related to learning unit structures and focused on instructional activities allowing students “to create knowledge from learning how to solve problems by themselves”. In addition, the study demonstrates that the teacher and students have different roles in each teaching step.