Cultivating Mathematical Identity Through Digital Storytelling: Indonesian Teachers' Journey of Professional Growth

• In Event: Global Perspectives on Digital Storytelling for Identity, Justice, and Community

Abstract

This study examines how pre-service mathematics teachers from rural, low-income, first-generation backgrounds in Indonesia co-construct their mathematical identities through digital storytelling. Despite being underrepresented and historically marginalized in mathematics education discourse, these pre-service teachers bring rich lived experiences, cultural knowledge, and emotional depth to their journeys. Digital Mathematics Storytelling is used here not just as a pedagogical tool, but as a reflective space for identity development, healing, and professional growth. The purpose of this study is to explore three interrelated research questions: (1) How do rural, low-income, first-generation pre-service teachers in Indonesia co-construct their mathematical identities through digital storytelling? (2) What cultural, emotional, and structural barriers shape their experiences in mathematics and higher education? (3) How do their stories challenge dominant narratives and offer new ways of imagining mathematics education? The goal is to reimagine teacher preparation in Indonesia as a more relational, responsive, and inclusive process. Using narrative inquiry methodology, the study draws on data collected from a four-day digital storytelling workshop involving twelve participants. Data sources included pre- and post-questionnaires, participant-created digital stories, semi-structured interviews, and community screening reflections. The approach emphasized care, relationality, and participant agency through member-checking and iterative story-centered analysis. The study is guided by four interwoven theoretical frameworks: mathematical identity, decolonizing education, rehumanizing mathematics, and counter-storytelling. These frameworks support a critical understanding of how mathematics identity is shaped through power, place, pedagogy, and storytelling, especially for students from historically excluded communities. Findings from the study are organized into five key themes: (1) Learning with Family Beside Me reveals how familial trust and relational support shape students’ perseverance; (2) Becoming through Teacher Positioning highlights how identity is influenced by teacher recognition and encouragement; (3) Evolving Relationship with Mathematics shows that identity development is nonlinear, often rooted in struggle and resilience; (4) Sacrifice Behind the Numbers foregrounds the impact of structural poverty and digital inequality; and (5) Redefining Worth in Mathematics illustrates how participants resist deficit narratives and assert their belonging in mathematics education. This study contributes to mathematics teacher education by demonstrating how digital storytelling can be used as a humanizing practice for professional identity formation. It calls for a shift away from colonial and performance-based standards toward pedagogies that honor rural wisdom, emotional depth, and student agency.

Author

• Angga Hidayat, Universitas Pamulang