A LOOK AT PEDAGOGICAL RATIONALITIES IN THE TEACHING OF MATHEMATICS

Abstract

This article constituted a contribution derived from a doctoral study whose purpose was to generate a theoretical architecture of pedagogical rationalities in the teaching of mathematics with an impact on the production of meaning in learning at the upper-secondary level. The study was grounded, drawing on Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics (1960), van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology (1990), and Bourdieu’s sociology of education (1979), as referential frameworks to interpret situated understanding and lived experience. From an interpretive epistemological perspective, a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to understand how the teaching of mathematics was signified and how such signification shaped the meaning attributed to learning. Key informants consisted of three (3) teachers and two (2) upper-secondary students from the Institución Educative Llanadas, Lebrija, Santander. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, using an interview guide as the instrument. Information was analyzed through categorization, structuring, and theorization. Findings indicated that pedagogical rationalities oscillated between an evaluative emphasis and the pursuit of understanding, shaping meanings of learning marked by achievement, belonging, and fear of error; additionally, learning gained greater meaning when explanation, dialogue, and recognition of learning trajectories were fostered. It was concluded that the theoretical architecture generated revealed how such rationalities shaped the production of meaning in mathematical learning and provided a framework to guide formative pedagogical decision-making at the upper-secondary level.