ERIC Number: EJ1150811
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Jul
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-8251
EISSN: N/A
Being a Girl Mathematician: Diversity of Positive Mathematical Identities in a Secondary Classroom
Radovic, Darinka; Black, Laura; Salas, Christian E.; Williams, Julian
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, v48 n4 p434-464 Jul 2017
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.
Descriptors: Females, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics, Foreign Countries, Peer Relationship, Case Studies, Observation, Interviews, Personal Narratives, Secondary School Students
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: NCTM@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/journal-for-research-in-mathematics-education/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Chile (Santiago)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A