African Girls’ Math Identity Work and Refugee Stories in a STEM-Focused After-School Program

• In Event: Academic Experiences of Immigrant and Migrant Students

Abstract

Low STEM identity and efficacy alongside diverse cultural, social, psychological, and socioeconomic challenges are the realities of many refugee youth, specifically females enrolled in U.S. schools. This ethnographic study uses discourse analysis to examine an hour-long conversation between two female refugee teens and their after-school math tutor. The girls engage in solving math equations without the use of computational tools and in the process discuss their experiences with mathematics education in their home countries. Findings indicate that the girls attribute their challenges in mathematics to their resettlement experiences. The analysis reveals the tensions and complex terrain that the girls must navigate in developing mathematics identities as African refugees. This study has implications for equity in STEM education spaces.

Authors

• Bolaji R Bamidele, Utah State University

• Sarah Braden, Utah State University

• Lingga Tjioe, Utah State University

• Tino Nyawelo, University of Utah

• Raquel Goldrup, Utah State University

• Ricardo Gonzalez, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine