Abstract

International literature attracts attention to the importance of promoting opportunities for participation in learning environments of school mathematics; however, the amount of research that deals with modeling study in environments in primary education are insufficient. In this sense it was carried out a research that inquiries about the ways how a group of students participated in environments which included some features of the socio-critical perspective of mathematical modelling, including negotiation possibilities, discussion possibilities and questioning the role of mathematics on the phenomena and society. The research was qualitative and it involved 27 fifth-grade students (9-11 years old) of an educational institution in the city of Medellin. To analyze the participation of the study, the instruments to collect data were interviews, participant observation and documents. The study focused the attention on oral and written statements, actions and explanations of the students in two (2) episodes in mathematical modelling environments. The results allowed to identify when students engage in environments that promote their participation, agree with the description and interpretation of the situations studied, the mathematization of own relationships of the situation and the interpretation and analysis of the proposed solutions. Consequently, it was possible to analyze and characterize the interactions and contributions as a form of participation. The results provide an understanding of the participation of the students in mathematical modeling environments, therefore, some notions and theoretical contributions in Mathematics Education.

Keywords: primary education; modelling environments; socio-critical perspective; participation; mathematical modelling.