The Role of Cultural Expectations in Middle Eastern/North African Students’ Mathematics Identity

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Identity development and support networks among STEM college students and professionals from non-dominant communities

Abstract

Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) students are a historically understudied group that face unique challenges in education. This study explores how their cultural and ethnic identities interact with mathematical identity development, drawing on Critical Race Theory, racialization, and intersectionality. Qualitative interviews asked students about their relationships with mathematics and cultural factors that shaped them. Findings showed that cultural identity and family values shaped participants’ career trajectories, perception of mathematics, and motivations to succeed. While participants did not explicitly name racialization, their stories reflected tensions around belonging and cultural pressures in mathematical spaces. Though shared cultural experiences were evident, each participants’ mathematical identity development was unique, highlighting the complex and individualized ways ethnic, cultural, and mathematical identities intersect.

Author

• Sara Mia Elakesh, Michigan State University