SCAFFOLDING MATHEMATICAL CONVERSATIONS:

Sammanfattning: Purpose: This study aims to address the current research gap on interactive mathematics exhibits by investigating parents’ role in supporting their children’s mathematics learning using such displays. In addition to this, the study examines the design of an interactive exhibit and explores whether it can facilitate mathematics learning among parents and children. Lastly, the study also explores the way mathematics learning occurs in informal settings. Theory: The sociocultural and constructionist theories of learning serve as the guiding theoretical framework for the study. While the sociocultural theory offers insights into the parent-child learning dynamic, the constructionist theory helps examine the interactive exhibit as a potential “object-to-think-with”. Method: This study examines a mathematics interactive exhibit located in the science center Universeum, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Adopting a mixed-methods research methodology, the study examines 10 parent-child groups whose interaction with the exhibit was audio and video recorded. The coding scheme used was inspired by Tscholl and Lindgren’s (2016) work on learning talk around interactive exhibits and Schnieder and Schuh’s (2022) research on parent scaffolding behaviours for mathematics learning using technology-based games. Results: The findings highlight parents’ important role in guiding their children’s mathematical learning. Parents were found to provide significant conceptual support through explanations, inquiry, demonstrations, prompts, and corrections. However, the study also indicated that parents encountered challenges in connecting the interactive experience with the underlying mathematical concepts. Additionally, the study revealed that the exhibit’s interactive features contributed to the co-construction of knowledge between the participants by facilitating conversations, hands-on manipulation, exploration, and problem-solving strategies. Moreover, the exhibit encouraged both parents and children to participate in the interactive activity. This finding contrasts with previous studies on interactive technologies showing that such technologies inhibit social interaction.