Navigating Students' Mathematical Identities: A Phenomenological Case Study of the Lived Experiences of Postsecondary Students

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Abstract

This study explores the experiences and perspectives of twelve post-secondary students while taking a general math course. It is analyzed how participants’ mathematical identities are negotiated and intersected with their multiple lived dimensions. Three individual interviews were conducted with each participant to understand how each post–secondary student identifies him/herself as a person that can do and know mathematics. The data analysis indicates how the unique experiences that each individual has in different contexts are powerful shapers of who they are, and can become, not only with respect to mathematics but also to the person they want to become. This produces diverse forms of struggle, conformity, and/or resistance to the ways of knowing that are valued in the school system.

Author

• Marilupe Hren, Lamar Consolidated ISD