Kompetansekonstruksjoner i matematikk og programfag. Utdanningsprogrammet bygg- og anleggsteknikk, videregående opplæring

Abstract

The study that this dissertation reports from, was motivated by an aim to find information about how to make teaching of mathematics for students enrolled in the building and construction programme in Norwegian upper secondary school more relevant. The study is situated in a constructionist paradigm (Creswell, 2013; Guba & Lincoln, 1994; Mertens, 2014). It is a case study where I have followed a single class of students enrolled in the programme building and construction for one year, in both building and construction subjects and in the subject of mathematics. Situative perspectives generally (Greeno et al., 1996) and more specifically Wenger (1998) , Communities of practice, are used as a theoretical basis. The community in the building- and construction subjects (referred to as the workshop) and the community in the mathematics classroom are conceptualized as two different communities of practice. It became apparent that there were major differences in how the students participated in the workshop compared to the mathematics classroom, and the study reports on different constructions of competence in the two communities of practice. I discuss possible consequences that the two different constructions of competence may have for learning and knowledge, and also for the students’ identification with the different communities. This discussion is based mainly on Wenger’s social practice theory. At the end of the dissertation, I discuss how the results from my study may contribute towards making teaching of mathematics more relevant for students enrolled in the building and construction programme.