An exploration of the mathematical knowledge of plumbing apprentices: A cognitive development perspective using the SOLO Model

Abstract

This study investigated the skills and understandings of apprentice plumbers from a cognitive developmental perspective. The purpose of the study was two-fold, namely: (i) to determine whether a cognitive developmental framework could be applied to describe workplace performance, and (ii) to use that framework to examine mathematical components of that performance. The design was exploratory in that at the time of inception of the study, use of cognitive theory to examine mathematical workplace practice was a gap in the literature. The cognitive developmental theory employed in this study is the SOLO Model, which is neo-Piagetian in nature. Numerous studies have verified the SOLO Model as a valid framework upon which to qualitatively describe cognitive performance, using substantial empirical data; however, there have been no studies to date which utilise the SOLO Model to examine workplace practice either holistically, or for mathematical substance. The use of the SOLO Model to examine cognitions within workplace-related contexts is therefore novel. The present study extends the Mathematics in the Workplace literature and SOLO Model literature in two ways: (i) using the SOLO Model in workplace-related contexts, and (ii) providing a cognitive developmental perspective to mathematics in the workplace. The study examines the manner in which apprentice plumbers fabricate an offset downpipe to specifications outlined on a Job Sheet, within the context of instruction at a Technical College. The apprentices in this study were taken from the first three years of initial apprenticeship training, with ages ranging from 18 to 22 years. The design was ethnographic in nature, and data collection consisted of researcher immersion, followed by the use of stimulated recall using video technique.