Identity Development during Undergraduate Research in Mathematics Education (original) (raw)
Related papers
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 2014
The changes in academic identity a teacher may undergo, as they modify their teaching practice, will vary depending on their experiences and the support they receive. In this article, we describe the shifts in academic identity of two lecturers, a mathematician and a mathematics educator, as they both made changes to their teaching practice by implementing new questioning techniques in a large undergraduate mathematics course. Both lecturers were members of the research group, which became their community of practice. Our findings recommend that lecturers endeavouring to step out and try changes to their teaching practice, particularly with large groups of students, belong to a community of practice. The community of practice provides a place for shared reflection, new learning, and opportunities to negotiate new identities.
Identity as a Lens to Understand Learning Mathematics: Developing a Model
2008
In this discussion article we consider mathematics learning as a process of developing a mathematical identity. This process is constituted by relationships between three key components -the teacher, the students and the discipline of mathematics. It is posited that the teacher's role is to facilitate the development of students' mathematical identities by relationally bridging student and the subject. Fundamentally, this requires that mathematics teachers have well-developed personal mathematical identities.
Identity research in mathematics education
Educational Studies in Mathematics, 2016
This paper examines the literature on identity within mathematics education published in journals over the past two decades. It analyses the theoretical underpinnings, research methods and definitions of identity, providing a critique rather than a summary of the literature. A total of 188 articles from 85 different journals are reviewed in the sample. This review finds support for common complaints of this research area as lacking in definitions of the concept of identity and suggests that the writing in this topic is at times theoretically incompatible. Furthermore, the work in this field may be coming from two distinct paradigms. Identity may be seen as an action and fit within a sociological frame or it may be seen as an acquisition, fitting within a psychological framing. Defining identity as something we do, as an action, and in particular as performative is promoted in this paper. Finally, suggestions are made for future directions in identity research.
A Case of Four Prospective Adult Class Teachers’ Mathematical Identity Work
2018
Research on adult students’ the mathematical identity work has not been explored so much. In this study I try to understand four prospective adult class teachers’ identity works on the basis of their learning diaries during a mathematics education course (6 ECTS). These four prospective class teachers’ reported they had negative experiences of mathematics during their school years but later in their lives the views towards mathematics had changed to a positive direction. However, the identity work during the mathematics education course revealed that life experiences had not changed the most fundamental views towards mathematics, mathematics learning and teaching. During the mathematics education course, they began a healing re-building process of their mathematical views which gave them a better understanding to what learning and teaching goals to pursue in future.
Researching Identity in Mathematics Education: The Lay of the Land
In this symposium, we argue that a deeper understanding of what impacts on teaching and learning in mathematics education can be gained by foregrounding the concept of identity and exploring its explanatory potential. In this paper we provide on overview of identity and introduce a scenario from mathematics preservice teacher education that is then interpreted from three theoretical perspectives in the papers that follow.
Undergraduate Students ’ Experiences of Identity as Capable Mathematics Learners
2012
This study explored how undergraduate mathematics students perceive themselves as capable mathematics learners and whether differences exist between male and female students' perceptions. A concurrent mixed method design was used in which qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed separately. The findings from quantitative data suggest that gender differences exist with regard to some participant's perceptions of their self-efficacy and their environment. Qualitative data analysis revealed that undergraduate mathematics students describe their experiences of being a capable mathematics learner from two positions: from their direct experience and from their perceptions of ideal images of a capable mathematics learner.
Investigations in Mathematics Learning, 2020
In this paper, teacher educators located at three different universities across the United States share findings emerging from our collaboration around a suite of three activities that engage our teacher candidates (TCs) around their identities as future mathematics teachers. In particular, our TCs engaged in a suite of identity-based activities in order to promote reflexivity across dimensions in a way that we argue is not possible through a single activity. We implemented activities to promote our TCs’ reflexivity, as well as to engage in critical self-reflection on our own practice as mathematics teacher educators. We explore the relationship between multidimensional reflexivity and beginning teachers who hold commitments toward justice and equity in mathematics education. Three activities – a mathematics autobiography, a silhouette, and an identity card sort – were selected, modified, implemented, and reflected on across our secondary mathematics methods courses, with the goal of promoting reflexivity across dimensions. We refer to reflexivity across dimensions as one’s ability to explore one’s identity within various analytical frames. The autobiography, silhouette, and card sort offered opportunities for TCs to explore the dimensions of their narrative, discursive, and categorical reflexivity, respectively. We found that TCs engaged in continual questioning and perturbing of their positions in society in ways that contributed to their sense of self and promoted reflexivity across the dimensions of TCs’ mathematics identities.
Towards a designated undergraduate students’ mathematics identity through a thinking group approach
2023
We present the first findings of a study on the construction of mathematics learner identity during a university-level problem-solving experience. To shed light on the impact of the activities on the student's self-perception as a mathematician and on how this influences the attitude towards mathematics, we analyse some students' protocols from which some changes in the awareness to perceive themselves as mathematicians emerge.
The Mathematics Enthusiast, 2019
Guided by the question “Which aspects could affect mathematics teachers’ identity, especially in the context of a postgraduate course that includes teaching practices as mathematics teacher educators?” we analyzed the transition between actual and designated mathematics teachers’ identity in a postgraduate training course. In particular, teaching practices during the course were oriented by emerging recommendations for mathematics teacher training. We concluded that the presence of an explicit intention to develop a specific practice plays a key role in the transition between actual and designated identity. In addition, the possession of methodological tools as a means for implementing renewed practices gave support and helped practitioners to plan classes promoting mathematical activity. In the process experienced by the practitioners, mentor teacher educators were clearly significant narrators because they reinforced or hinder the desire to reach the designated identity, through t...
Mathematical Identity and the Role of the Educator
Journal of Mathematics Education at Teachers College
Mathematical identity is a socio-motivational construct known to be a predictor of mathematical achievement. Students who identify positively with mathematics are more likely to pursue advanced courses and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-related occupations. Although mathematical identity is shaped by a myriad of internal and external factors on both a small and large scale, educators play a significant role in the formation of their students’ mathematical identities. This paper presents an overview of research regarding those pedagogical practices for teaching mathematics that can foster the formation of positive mathematical identities.