Transcripts of Teacher Interviews: Decision-Making Process in Mathematical Scaffolding Implementation
Description
This document contains interview transcripts, translated into English, focusing on teacher decision-making regarding scaffolding in middle school mathematics education. The data encompasses five detailed appendices featuring conversations between a researcher (P) and two teachers (S1 and S2), exploring their thought processes and strategies in providing student assistance. The transcripts delve into various aspects of educational decision-making, including the timing of interventions, student ability assessment, scaffolding strategies, and response monitoring. Key themes emerge throughout the interviews, such as the teachers' consideration of student academic abilities, material difficulty, time constraints, and the importance of fostering independent problem-solving skills. The interviews reveal how teachers make complex decisions about when to delay assistance, particularly with higher-performing students, while providing more immediate support to struggling learners. The data provides valuable insights into the nuanced ways teachers adapt their scaffolding approaches based on individual student needs, classroom dynamics, and pedagogical objectives, all within the context of mathematics instruction at the middle school level.
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The data was collected through a series of structured interviews with two mathematics teachers (designated as S1 and S2) who teach at the middle school level. The interviews, which were originally conducted in another language and later translated into English, focused on understanding teacher decision-making processes in mathematical scaffolding implementation. The research methodology involved direct observation of classroom interactions, particularly focusing on specific instances where teachers made decisions about delaying scaffolding assistance to students (identified as B and L in the transcripts). The interview protocol followed a systematic approach, with the researcher (P) asking follow-up questions based on observed classroom events and teacher responses. The interviews explored multiple aspects of the teachers' decision-making processes, including their assessment of student abilities, consideration of material difficulty, timing of interventions, and scaffolding strategies. This qualitative data collection approach allowed for in-depth exploration of teachers' thought processes and pedagogical reasoning, providing rich insights into their professional decision-making practices in mathematics education.