Taylor (2009)

The Purchasing Practice of Low-Income Students: The Relationship to Mathematical Development

The article The Purchasing Practice of Low-Income Students: The Relationship to Mathematical Development was written by Edd Taylor and published in the Journal of the Learning Sciences in 2009. The article is available from Taylor & Francis Online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10508400903013462.

Abstract

The purpose of this 2-part study was to explore the mathematical and purchasing competencies present in students' engagement in shopping practices in a low-income African American neighborhood. Study 1 consisted of in situ analyses of children's shopping activities at a local store, revealing the variety of arithmetic tasks that emerged in relation to varied artifacts, shopping routines, social norms, and clerk support. In an effort to reveal competencies that could not be measured through observation alone, Study 2 consisted of individual interviews of 30 first and second graders about tasks that required them to purchase items at a mock store. Analyses revealed both strategies that were frequently and infrequently associated with successful purchasing and the relationship between children's strategy choices and the demands of particular purchases. This research documents the many mathematical competencies children present that may not be captured in traditional school assessments and considers how this prior knowledge might be used to inform instruction and treatments of sociocultural frameworks.

Outline of Headings

• Lenses of Inquiry
• The Liquor Store as a Site for the Study of Children's Mathematical Practices
• Study 1: Children's Purchasing Practice at the Liquor Store
  • Methods
    • Store Setting
    • Store Observations
  • Structure of the Purchasing Practice and Emergent Mathematical Problems
    • Purchasing Phases and Mathematical Problems
  • Social and Material Support for Purchasing
    • Transportation to the Store
      • Riders
      • The Escorted
      • Walkers
    • Store Clerk Support
      • Support for purchasing through purchasing norms
    • Support for Purchasing Through Artifacts
      • Cash Register
      • Price Tags and Other Representations of Price
  • Analysis of Purchase Transactions
    • Categories of Transactions
      • Purchase amount
      • Necessity to tender change
      • Number of items purchased
    • Relationship Between Clerk Support and Transaction Type
• Study 2: Probing Children's Purchasing Competencies
  • Methods
    • Materials
    • Participants
    • Procedures
  • Results
    • Purchase Success
    • Purchase Strategy
  • Relationship Between Purchasing Success and Purchasing Strategies
    • Relationship Between Purchasing Success and Knowledge of the Amount Presented
    • Relationship Between Purchasing Strategy and Knowledge of the Amount Presented
• Summary of Findings: Study 1 and Study 2
• Discussion and Conclusions
  • Prior Experience and Whole Number Understanding
  • Mathematical Engagement and Purchasing Strategies
  • Differentiated Math Engagement
  • Instructional Implications

Also

APA

Taylor, E. V. (2009). The purchasing practice of low-income students: The relationship to mathematical development. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 18(3), 370–415. doi:10.1080/10508400903013462

BibTeX

@article{Taylor2009,
author = {Taylor, Edd V.},
doi = {10.1080/10508400903013462},
journal = {Journal of the Learning Sciences},
month = jul,
number = {3},
pages = {370--415},
title = {{The purchasing practice of low-income students: The relationship to mathematical development}},
url = {http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10508400903013462},
volume = {18},
year = {2009}
}