Društvena klasa i pol u jednačini matematičkog identiteta učenika

This article presents a practice perspective of mathematics pedagogy and mathematics learning, by considering the interconnections between how developing a mathematics identity is bound up with the sayings, doings and relatings one experiences in classroom mathematical encounters. Broadly, mathematics education is fundamentally about stirring students into mathematical practices. In schools, doing mathematics is generally encountered in and through pedagogical practices that constitute lessons. Lessons, and the practices that compose them, create conditions for identity formation; thus one with a mathematical identity is someone who engages in mathematical practices (in everyday life and in classrooms). These practices are nuanced and site based. Considering the situatedness of lessons is an ontological view of mathematics education, and as such, offers an alternative view to the pervasive epistemological perspectives on mathematics learning, teaching and identity. To argue for a practice understanding of mathematics learning and identity development, practice theory is utilised as an analytic frame to examine empirical data from a primary school mathematics lesson. Findings delineate the ways that learning arises from being stirred into the characteristic site based practices, and mathematical identities are expressed in and, at the same time, exert pressure on the sayings, doings, and relatings encountered in lessons. From this, we argue that it is important that students engage in explicit substantive mathematics practices if they are to develop positive mathematical identities.

BackgroundThis empirical study aims to investigate the association between mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics achievement gaps among students in Grades 4, 8, and 12, utilizing data from the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The study also considers student-level (e.g., mathematics self-efficacy, gender, race/ethnicity) and school-level (e.g., school location, proportion of underrepresented students) demographics to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors contributing to mathematics achievement gaps.MethodsA two-level cross-sectional multilevel modeling approach was employed to analyze the variance in mathematics achievement, partitioning it into within- and between-school components. This approach allowed for an examination of association between mathematics self-efficacy and achievement gaps while considering various student and school characteristics. The rationale behind this methodology lies in its ability to capture the hierarchical nature of educational data and provide a nuanced understanding of the factors associated with mathematics achievement.ResultsThe analysis of the NAEP data revealed substantial variability in mathematics achievement across schools in the United States at all grade levels. Furthermore, mathematics self-efficacy emerged as a robust predictor of students' mathematics achievement, exhibiting significant effect sizes for Grades 4, 8, and 12. Remarkably, when students' mathematics self-efficacy was held constant, the mathematics achievement gaps among different student subgroups by gender, race/ethnicity, ELL, IEP, NSLP status narrowed, highlighting the importance of self-efficacy in addressing these disparities. The study also identified the presence of significant school contextual effects, further emphasizing the role of the educational environment in shaping mathematics achievement.ConclusionsThis study underscores the critical role of mathematics self-efficacy in influencing mathematics achievement gaps among students. By acknowledging the association between self-efficacy beliefs and mathematics achievement, policymakers and educators can develop targeted interventions to enhance students' confidence and motivation in mathematics, ultimately promoting equitable educational outcomes. The findings also emphasize the significance of school-level factors, calling for comprehensive approaches that consider both individual and contextual factors in narrowing achievement gaps. The implications of adopting a self-efficacy perspective to address mathematics achievement gaps extend to educational policy, curriculum development, and instructional practices, ultimately fostering more inclusive and effective mathematics education for all students.

An emerging area of research on the diversification of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is that of queer and trans (QT) students who are interested in STEM education and disciplines. The purpose of our study was to identify differences in high school mathematics educational experiences by sexual orientation and gender identity. We used mathematics identity and Leyva’s STEM as a White cisheteropatriarchal space (WCHPS) as our theoretical frameworks to guide our study. Using data from Waves 1 and 2 of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, our exploratory analyses uncovered significant differences between QT and HC students’ mathematics identity. Regression results showed that ideological and relational dimensions of WCHPS in Grade 9 play a significant role in Grade 11 QT students’ mathematics identity. Given the exploratory approach for our study, we aim for our research to begin critical conversations in mathematics education concerning QT students to promote more enriching and welcoming learning environments.

Mathematical identity has become a significant focus in mathematics education research because it influences how individuals perceive themselves as learners and practitioners of mathematics. Theoretical perspectives, including socio-cultural and discourse-based views, suggest that mathematical identity is constructed through personal experience, community recognition, and participation in mathematical practices. However, empirical research on the mathematical identity of prospective mathematics teachers remains limited, particularly studies that quantitatively examine the multiple components of identity before students enter the teaching profession. Addressing this gap, the present descriptive quantitative study investigates the mathematical identity of prospective mathematics teachers. A total of 88 participants completed the questionnaire on mathematical identity, which consisted of 18 items covering interest, recognition, competence, performance, and beliefs about mathematics. The responses were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, including frequency distributions, mean scores, and categorical classifications. The results showed that 70.45% of prospective mathematics teacher students had a high mathematical identity. Component-level analysis revealed that 78.41% had high interest in mathematics, 55.68% had medium levels of recognition, 48.86% showed high competence beliefs, 92.04% scored high in performance beliefs, and 97.73% held strong positive beliefs about the nature of mathematics. This study contributes to the literature by providing a detailed quantitative profile of mathematical identity among prospective mathematics teachers. The findings suggest that teacher education programs should intentionally design learning environments that provide more opportunities for constructive feedback. Future research should examine the factors that shape and influence the development of mathematical identity, particularly through longitudinal or mixed-method approaches that can capture changes over time and provide deeper explanatory insights.

Matters of identity are personally and socially constructed and do not always align with teacher perceptions. When this occurs, it can cause internal tensions in ways students navigate their sense of being in schooling and in society as a whole. These tensions can also impact students’ mathematical identity and their motivations within mathematics education. In this multiple case study, the authors explored how two high school students negotiated the tensions between their racial, gendered, and mathematical identities. Their mathematical identity and their intrinsic motivation. We considered how student intersectional cultural identities, funds of knowledge, and stereotype threat informed these factors. Results indicate that mathematical identity was impacted by students’ sense of belonging in their learning environment, the level of stereotype threat they experienced, and the extent to which teachers consider and value diverse ways of learning and knowing. We also noted that, due to a variety of factors, the participants in this study foregrounded their racial identities over their gendered identities. The findings have important implications for teachers and teacher educators working toward creating and fostering equitable classroom environments.

Background/Context Recent research in mathematics education has employed sociocultural and historical lenses to better understand how students experience school mathematics and come to see themselves as capable mathematics learners. This work has identified mathematics classrooms as places where power struggles related to students’ identities occur, struggles that often involve students’ affiliations with racial, ethnic, and gender categories and the mathematics teacher as a critical agent in students’ mathematics identity development. Frameworks for identifying resources that mathematics teachers draw on to teach are evolving, and emerging dimensions of teachers’ knowledge, namely knowledge of students’ lived experiences and histories, as well as teachers’ experiences and identities, are increasingly being considered alongside more traditional dimensions of the knowledge teachers draw on in their practice. Purpose The purpose of this article is to explore the perspectives and practices of two African American mathematics teachers, Madison Morgan and Floyd Lee, as they support their African American students’ mathematics identity formation and development. Participants At the time of the study, Morgan and Lee were high school mathematics teachers in a large urban school district. Both participants were selected for this analysis because of considerable differences in their life histories, pedagogical approaches, and perspectives. Research Design Each teacher was observed approximately 25 times and interviewed 9–10 times. The primary data for this analysis consist of a subset of observations and interviews for the purposes of conducting a qualitative cross-case analysis that examines themes, similarities, and differences in Morgan's and Lee's approaches to supporting their students’ mathematics identity development. Findings Morgan's and Lee's experiences, perspectives, and practices characterize two very different perspectives of what constitutes a positive mathematics identity, while both maintain connections to race and racial identities. In both cases, there exists a subtle paradox in the underlying motivations that the teachers communicated in their interviews related to socializing their African American students and the practices they actually employ in their classrooms. Furthermore, both teachers made use of their capacity to serve as models and motivators for students’ current and future success in mathematics. Conclusions/Recommendations If equitable high-quality mathematics instruction is a sincere goal of the mathematics education community, we strongly recommend that researchers further explore the ways that teacher identity, including those dimensions associated with race, class, and gender, serves as an instructional and motivational resource as teachers work to create productive and meaningful learning environments for their students.

In this study we surveyed 958 college students enrolled in Pre-calculus, Calculus I, and Calculus II courses at two different public universities in the United States to explore STEM career goals with self-identified personality attributes, mathematics identity, and strength of gender identification. We analyzed the results of our data by gender, using a series of Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests, and correlation. We found that, for both genders, certain self-identified personality attributes were more common amongst college students who selected a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) career goal as compared to college students who did not select a STEM career goal. We also found a weak correlation between the strength of one’s gender identification and mathematics identity. In this paper we report our findings and reflect on our results with regards to the shortage of women entering STEM careers.

In the first months of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic became a top concern worldwide, media coverage became full of information that demands mathematical literacy, or numeracy, to interpret. In this study, we examine the public’s understanding of mathematical notions that are required for understanding the pandemic and predicting its spread. We also explore its correlations with several variables: age group and gender, educational attainment in mathematics, and mathematics identity. To do so, we conducted a cross-sectional survey focusing on mathematical knowledge relevant to the pandemic. The survey was distributed to a representative sample of the Jewish Israeli population (n = 439). Findings showed that participants’ educational attainment in mathematics was positively correlated with their success in the mathematical media literacy tasks. However, even those with high attainment levels did not always perform well. Moreover, the explanatory variable with the strongest relationship to mathematical media literacy was found to be participants’ mathematical identity. These results suggest that school mathematics, especially in its high levels, may prepare adults to understand critical information important for their well-being, such as at a time of global pandemic. However, they also demonstrate that a weak mathematical identity may significantly hinder adults’ engagement with such information.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10649-021-10075-8.

The construction of positive mathematical identities (MIs) is a complex and central issue in school mathematics, where girls are usually “counted out” of the field. This study explores positive MIs (high achiever and positive relationship with mathematics) of 3 girls. We employed a nested model of identity based on a case study approach (i.e., female mathematics students nested within a cluster of students nested within a mathematics classroom). The results highlight diversity in how these girls experienced mathematics: They valued different forms of doing mathematics (independent and collaborative; wider and complex; and straightforward, procedure-oriented mathematics), showed different forms of engagement (detachment, protagonist and challenging, and compliant and support-seeker), and narrated different MIs (efficient, different, and responsible). The study also explores and discusses the roles of mathematical practice and belonging to different peer clusters in these different forms of identification.

In This Issue

In the past decade, extensive research on gender and learning styles has produced a multitude of findings: gender differences in learning styles are small on average, but across studies quite different results are observed. In the present study, this heterogeneity is the central focus of our attention. Two possible interpretations concerning the educational context and the concept of gender identity are investigated: the teacher and the subject he or she teaches. Besides the variable gender as a dichotomous variable, the variable gender identity is included to reflect the theoretical standpoint of the social construction of gender differences. Using multivariate techniques on a data set of 432 adult secondary students, the observed relations between gender, gender identity and learning styles are described. Gender identity turns out to explain more variance in the use of learning styles compared to gender. Furthermore, it is shown that gender (identity) differences in learning styles do not vary across teachers and, with one exception, they do not vary across subjects.

We expand on prior qualitative research about mathematics identity development using data from a large national US survey of 10,437 students in 336 college calculus classes. Multinomial logistic regression models find that a stronger mathematics identity predicts higher student interest in pursuing certain STEM careers when compared with non-STEM careers, particularly those in physical and computer sciences, engineering, and mathematics, or in science or mathematics teaching. Multiple linear regression models identify that certain instructional practices employed by high school mathematics teachers predict higher levels of students’ mathematics identity. These include a high amount of interaction within the classroom, a focus on mathematics connections, and activities involving conceptual learning. Surprisingly, the role of the textbook, ways of organizing students (individual, small group, whole class), forms of assessment, and use of calculators or computers did not significantly predict students’ mathematics identity.

HEAT, an instructional program emphasizing a nontraditional hands-on approach to algebraic instruction for urban, predominantly African American middle schoolers, provides a space to explore teachers’ beliefs about urban students’ mathematical abilities and motivation and addresses how teacher perceptions can intersect with instruction, learning, and the construction of students’ mathematical identities. Using a multiple case study design, we analyzed six urban middle school mathematics teachers’ written reflections and interview responses. Findings suggest that teachers’ instructional behaviors, along with their perceptions and expectations of urban, African American middle schoolers’ mathematical abilities and motivation, interact with students’ beliefs and work habits in ways that can promote and support students’ positive mathematical identity construction. Thus, HEAT personified thriving learning subcultures and supportive mathematical communities of practice that are far too atypical in urban middle schools.

This qualitative study critically examines elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs) mathematics histories, predominantly negative relationships with mathematics, to see them through a more positive lens and the impact on their teaching futures. Data from 75 PSTs' mathematics autobiographies across three teacher education programs in the Northeast United States over a 10-year period reveal that prior teachers are the primary influence on the PSTs' mathematics identities. This chapter showcases specific teacher and their classroom characteristics which shaped these identities. Themes that are explored in this chapter include connections with the teacher, learning environment, understanding the purposes of mathematics, use of manipulatives and hands-on learning, mathematics and gender roles, and timed assessments. Implications for mathematics methods courses, teacher effectiveness and professional development, and research on autobiographical inquiry are discussed.

Using the overlap sample of about 3500 students who participated in both the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 and the 2013 grade 12 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics assessment, this study investigates the relationships of mathematics identity, efficacy and interest to mathematics achievement in high school. Role identities, such as having a mathematics identity, as well as mathematics efficacy and interest are hypothesized to be important motivators of role-related behavior. Using a structural equation modeling approach, measures of these constructs at grades 9 and 11 are related to grade 12 NAEP mathematics achievement, simultaneously taking into account grade 9 mathematics achievement, high school mathematics coursetaking, educational expectations at grades 9 and 11 and student and school background factors. The results indicate that a mathematics identity and educational expectations at grade 11 are statistically and substantively significant predictors of grade 12 mathematics achievement in the presence of these other factors, whereas neither of the other two motivation factors—grade 11 mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics interest—were shown to have direct effects on grade 12 mathematics achievement. However, mathematics self-efficacy at grade 9 was shown to have an indirect effect on grade 12 mathematics achievement through grade 11 mathematics identity. The implications of these findings for identity theory are discussed.