Eaton, P., Horn, C., Liston, M., Oldham, E. & OReilly, M.

Joint BSRLM/MEI meeting

Using Narrative to Access Mathematical Identity: An overview informed by an empirical study in five third level institutions in Ireland

Drumcondra, Dublin

Oral Presentation

2015

()

27-FEB-15

28-FEB-15

We present the findings of research into the mathematical identity of students using narrative as a tool. It is the work of a team from five institutions on the island of Ireland and was part of a project entitled “Mathematical Identity using Narrative as a Tool” (MINT) funded by the Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS). The chief aim of MINT was to propose an efficient protocol for third level mathematics educators to explore the mathematical identities of their students. We set the scene with a discussion and overview of the central notions of mathematical identity and narrative, taking cognisance of different perspectives from the literature. We then present an overview of the methodology and the themes arising from the qualitative data collected from groups of students in the various institutions, and compare these with themes identified previously in similar studies. We offer evidence that narrative enquiry can produce meaningful insights into mathematical identity and that the themes, although requiring some refinement for different cohorts, provide a robust framework on which to predicate analysis. We conclude with proposals for future work in this area