Competencia afectiva en el aprendizaje matemático: un enfoque desde la Matemática Educativa

Abstract

Categories presents in affective domain in mathematical learning are analyzed. The relationships found among them are showed in order to provide an overview of the affective domain and to point out the aspects that allow the approach to emotional competency in the mathematical learning. The leading elements: teacher, student, knowledge and resources around them, that make up the Mathematics Education (ME) and the links that they have with the psychological and socio-cultural aspect are displayed. It is emphasized that to learn and to use mathematics, the affective aspect that goes implicitly in student´s learning - present though invisible inside the didactic triangle-, has an equal importance if it is not more important than the cognitive and skills aspects to manage to learn them and to apply them. The Theory of Social Representations (TRS) is used, employing the technique of focus groups as dynamics (form of collective in-depth interviews). These categories are considered as a guide of the affective evaluation instrument toward mathematics, designed and developed by studies in the context of this research (2003, 2006 and 2009). This instrument is utilised as a questionnaire which is applied now with open questions using the way of topics to develop. The categories of beliefs, emotions, attitudes, attributions and ethics and morals are considered for the implementation of the dynamics of focus groups, taking focus of attention in the epistemological, cognitive, didactic and social aspects. The representations obtained in this way, are then presented schematically in relationship to the categories of the affective domain analyzed and a reflection of them is done. This allows showing a photography of the reality and it validates the structured conceptual frame that has been glimpsed by the investigators who have investigated in this aspect and that have been validated in this work. The RS founded indicate four weak points, left of side or devaluated by the teachers in some way: the emotional category, the ethics and morals aspect; to give a permanent emphasis to the indissoluble link that is present between the epistemological beliefs and the cognitive beliefs, and finally cultural partner considers the environment where the learning is effected, with the complex and unpredictable implications that this have inside, not only in the affective aspect of the mathematical learning, but into the cognitive aspects and skills that the mathematical learning have inside too. It can be foreseen how far teachers are from having in them and propitiating in their pupils an affective competency in the mathematical learning. This fact is fundamental to work toward reaching a competency in mathematical learning, which involves also to the cognitive and skills aspects. Topics of investigation are proposed to be carried out in the future.