Distributed authority and opportunities for children's agency in mathematical activities in kindergarten

International audienceThe aim of this study is to investigate to what extent authority is distributed and opportunities for children's agency in mathematical activities. We are drawing on a sociocultural perspective on learning to analyse the distribution of authority among kindergarten teachers and children and exercise of agency in various mathematical activities in the kindergarten. Our analyses show that authority is distributed to some extent, through questioning and opening for children's contributions. Moreover, opportunities are given in which children exercise conceptual agency with respect to mathematical reasoning concerning geometrical shapes and measurement