Abstract:

Integrating technology in the classroom has profoundly impacted the overall classroom culture, altering the nature of classroom activities, how students and teachers interact, and the learning environment. While several studies have examined the cognitive dimension of successful technology integration, there is also a need to examine the norm perspective in technology-enhanced classrooms. Developing appropriate social norms for working with technology and negotiating rich class discussions among teachers and students is crucial. This study explores technology integration in a mathematics classroom, specifically focusing on the social norms developed during class discussions. A case study was conducted in a tenth-grade mathematics classroom in a low-achieving girls' vocational high school in Turkiye, which has a classroom culture different from mainstream schools. The study analyzed 66 videos of mathematics lessons, 27 of which were taken before integrating technology into mathematics instruction, and 39 were taken after the integration using GeoGebra, Desmos, and IXL. The videos were analyzed using content analysis to identify the social norms developed in the classroom microculture regarding class discussions. Both teacher and student dimensions of social norms were coded. Before technology integration, two social norms were identified about class discussions. The first was about equal participation in lessons, and the other was about students expressing the points they need help understanding. After integrating technology, a new social norm developed in addition to these two: student contributions should be included in the classroom agenda. Before technology integration, this norm only had the teacher dimension, as students' contributions were limited to solving questions on the board. Although the teacher demanded student participation before technology integration, the students did not accept this norm. However, technological tasks allowed the teacher to propose hypotheses, giving students more opportunities to contribute. The present study sheds light on the impact of technology-supported instruction on classroom discourse and student engagement. The findings indicate that students are more inclined to generate and exchange ideas without fearing judgment. Integrating technological tools has created a new social norm that fosters experimental approaches to learning mathematics and a non-threatening learning environment. Such affordances have led to an increase in student motivation and participation in class discussions. This study has important implications for teachers seeking to enhance their class discussions and researchers exploring similar classroom contexts. Further discussions on the reasons for the emergence of this new social norm and its potential implications will be presented.

Keywords:

Technology-supported teaching, social norms, classroom culture, class discussions, mathematics teaching.