Abstract
This study examined immigrant parents’ involvement in early years mathematics learning, focusing on learning of multiplication in in- and out-of-school settings. Ethnographic interviews and workshops were conducted in an urban city in Japan, to examine out-of-school practices of immigrant families. Drawing from sociocultural theory of learning and the concept of appropriation (Wertsch, 1998), the role of power and identity was examined in relation to children’s appropriation of an informal multiplication method that was taught by their parents. An intergenerational analysis, between immigrant parents and their children, revealed heterogeneous perspectives towards appropriation. Immigrant parents in this study framed their involvement in their children’s early years mathematics learning in relation to their positional identities and the pressures to conform to the mainstream practices of their host country. During their early years of schooling, students in this study were already aware of academic tracking in the school and were aware of what was believed to be legitimate in school mathematics learning. The significance of diversifying mathematics curriculum and pedagogy was discussed to affirm the knowledge and identities of immigrant students and families.
Highlights
This study examined immigrant parents’ involvement in early years mathematics learning, focusing on learning of multiplication in in- and out-of-school settings
Set in the context of an urban city in Japan that is gradually becoming linguistically and ethnically diverse, this study examines how power and positional identities influenced early years mathematics learning for Filipina immigrant mothers and their children living in Japan
Framed by sociocultural theory of learning and especially by focusing on the concept of appropriation, this study showed how appropriation of an informal multiplication method can be a site for negotiation of power and positional identities
Summary
This study examined immigrant parents’ involvement in early years mathematics learning, focusing on learning of multiplication in in- and out-of-school settings. Immigrant parents in this study framed their involvement in their children’s early years mathematics learning in relation to their positional identities and the pressures to conform to the mainstream practices of their host country. In Japan, where the study introduced here was conducted, some industrial areas are becoming ethnically and linguistically diverse, as represented in the percentages of registered immigrants in the following cities: Oizumicho, Gunnma (14.5%); Minokamo, Gifu (7.7%); and Kikukawa, Shizuoka (5.4%) (Committee of Localities With a Concentrated Foreigner Population, 2012). In order to make mathematics learning accessible to all students, there is a need for research examining curriculum and pedagogy that are responsive to immigrant students’ prior knowledge and backgrounds Taken in this context, the purpose of this research is to highlight mathematical resources that immigrant students access at home and understand how power and identity influence appropriation and the use of those resources at school. Immigrant students’ mathematical performance can be shaped by valued practices at home (Guberman, 2004)
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