The Construction of Mathematical Authority in a First Grade Classroom

Abstract

This study uses positioning theory to understand how students come to construct their own and others’ mathematical authority. The study took place in the context of a classroom teaching experiment with 22 first-grade students in a demographically and academically diverse school. We coded the interactions of the eight students who had the most whole class airtime. We also determined airtime for these participants, which involved total talking time during whole class discussions, total utterances spoken during whole class discussions, and the number of times they were talked to. Findings show how one student’s airtime contributed to her establishing undue authority and in turn having an incorrect idea endorsed by another student. Findings also reveal some of the interactions that contribute to authority construction over time.