Exploring the Mathematical Identities of Successful Latino High School Students (original) (raw)

Using Martin's (2000) framework, this study examined the mathematical identity and socialization of successful Latino students in a small community in the rural South. Positioned in the New Latino Diaspora (Murillo, 2002; Villenas, 2002), I provide a counternarrative to the gap-gazing dominant narrative of Latinos in mathematics education research, which historically has primarily focused on lack of academic success among Latino students in comparison to their White, middle class counterparts. These case studies explore not only how the ways in which students defined their own mathematical identity, but also how parents, teachers, and peers influence students' mathematical identities. The four high school students presented as cases in this study all exhibit positive mathematical identities and show relatively high levels of interest in continuing their education in STEM fields. The students identified being successful in mathematics as innate ability, as opposed to an acqui...