The Influence of Mathematics Identity and Maker Education on Algebra Achievement

• In Event: Thinking Beyond a Maker Movement in Teacher Education

Abstract

Purpose:
According to the National Science Board (2012), women have historically been underrepresented in STEM fields. Blickenstaff (2005) argued that there are multiple factors contributing to gender disparity – some without merit and others that may contribute significantly to the removal of females from the STEM pipeline. Research indicates that women are faced with more issues than gender-bias in STEM. According to Robnett and Leaper (2013), other factors may include motivation-related self-concepts and social norms. An investigation of academic factors (e.g. assessment scores) and non-academic factors (ex. identity) may provide insight into the achievement of female secondary students, specifically in STEM. Furthermore, findings from this investigation may support the need for schools and teachers to seek new ways to foster the mathematics identity of female students.

Theoretical Framework:
In their work with the Search Institute on the developmental assets in youth, Scales and Leffert (2004) asserted that identity could best be defined “as an integrated view of oneself encompassing self-concept, beliefs, capacities, roles, and personal history” (p. 193). According to this definition, identity is a variable influenced by self and others. Identity is socially constructed and changes through interactions within different communities in which individuals live, work, and learn (Holland & Lave, 2001). Sfard and Prusak (2005), compared identity with stories that people hear and tell about themselves; therefore, an individual’s mathematics identity is most likely connected to the stories about their mathematics experiences.

Methods/Data Sources/Evidence:
The data in this research are from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009/2012 (HSLS:09/12). The data come from a sample of more than 21,000 students from 944 public, charter, and private schools in the United States. After 3,938 female students were extracted from the full dataset, Hierarchical Multiple Regression (HMR) was utilized for the data analysis.

Results/Conclusion/Scholarly Significance:
Socioeconomic status (SES), a demographic variable, was entered at Step 1 as a control variable. The HMR model allowed for a determination of the unique contribution SES makes in the model, explaining 17% of the variance in math achievement. The Mathematics Identity Scale was entered at Step 2, explaining an additional 12% of the variance. The total variance explained by the final model as a whole was 29.4%, F (5, 3,133) = 261.03, p < .001. The Scale of Mathematics Identity was a statistically significant predictor of STEM achievement with the beta value at .338 (p < .001).

In summary, the findings indicated that the mathematics identity of female high school students was a strong predictor of STEM achievement in algebra: therefore, schools and teachers should seek new ways to foster the mathematics identity of female students. Through local districts, schools can access available funds to support the professional development of teachers, specifically related to learning how to support female students in the development of a positive mathematics identity. Teacher efforts should be visible beyond textbook lessons. Building innovation stations, such as MakerSpaces and BreakerSpaces, on school sites may provide enriching hands-on learning opportunities for female students.

Author

• Nicol R. Howard, Chapman University