ABSTRACT
This report validates a novel quantitative methodology for analyzing moment-to-moment interactions in classrooms called the Poisson Process Methodology (PPM). PPM differs from moment-to-moment qualitative and quantitative analyzes typically used in education by using time-series data to quantify the degree to which the presence of facilitator moves affect the future rate of student actions. Using PPM in the context of small-group problem solving further validates the use of the method in several settings in education. We applied the method to data from a larger study about students’ engagement in reasoning abstractly and quantitatively as they worked on mathematics problems with a facilitator. We present empirical results of PPM performed on two semi-structured interviews involving a facilitator and two students, which led to some interpretable results that extend previous understandings of forms of talk that promote quantitative reasoning.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).