Latino Students' Mathematical Identities: Case Studies from Algebra 1 Classrooms

Thursday, October 27, 2011: 6:35 PM
Ballroom II (San Jose Marriott Hotel)
Maria Zavala, PhD , Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Seattle, WA
Julia Aguirre, PhD , Education, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA
According to Martin (2000), sociohistorical contexts, educational experiences and individual factors, such as agency, are key to being successful in mathematics for African American youth.  Further, he argued that learning mathematics is a “racialized” experience. However, research that accounts for similar factors in the study of Latino students in mathematics is lacking.  In this study, I used a qualitative case study analysis (n=7) to go in depth into students’ experiences, and illuminate the mathematical identity development and ongoing negotiation of Latino high school students in two Algebra 1 classes.  Preliminary findings suggest that: 1) students were negotiating language in complex ways, even if they were proficient English speakers 2) students did not talk about race as salient in their learning of mathematics, but did talk about how culture and language were linked to striving for success in school, and 3) students drew on various identity resources to engage in mathematics.
Martin, D. B. (2000). Mathematics success and failure among African-American youth: The roles of sociohistorical context, community forces, school influence, and individual agency. Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning. Malwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.