RESEARCH
Poster Presented at PMENA (2012)
As a woman in mathematics and as a first generation college student, I am passionate about finding ways to support students who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented within the educational system. Mathematics in particular has served as a gatekeeper to advanced educational and work opportunities for many students of color and young women (Martin, Gholson, & Leonard, 2010; Stinson, 2004). Therefore, my motivation as a teacher and mathematics education researcher is to provide access to meaningful mathematics experiences for those students.
Broadly, my research agenda focuses on access to and participation in mathematics for all students at the undergraduate level. Specifically, my research activities center around student identity and agency, as they relate to educational context. In addition to my current research, which focuses primarily on gender, my work also gives careful attention to the role of other identity markers—such as race, ethnicity, and class—as they inform mathematical identity development. Although my personal research has focused on undergraduate students’ identities and experiences, my research and teaching experiences have also prepared me to work with students at primary and secondary levels.
Broadly, my research agenda focuses on access to and participation in mathematics for all students at the undergraduate level. Specifically, my research activities center around student identity and agency, as they relate to educational context. In addition to my current research, which focuses primarily on gender, my work also gives careful attention to the role of other identity markers—such as race, ethnicity, and class—as they inform mathematical identity development. Although my personal research has focused on undergraduate students’ identities and experiences, my research and teaching experiences have also prepared me to work with students at primary and secondary levels.
Current Research
My dissertation study, Mathematics majors at all-women’s colleges: Identity and context, focuses on mathematical identity development as it relates to the context of an all-women’s college. Specifically, the purpose of this qualitative study is to gain insight into the identities of women mathematics majors, to understand their assumptions about what it means to know and do mathematics, and to describe the nature of learning mathematics at an all-women’s college. To do so, I am conducting multiple in-depth interviews at two all-women’s colleges and engaging in observations of their social and mathematical practices and norms over an academic year. The theoretical framework for my research builds upon Gee’s (2011) identity framework and related constructs of context and figured worlds. Primarily, I draw upon situated, sociocultural framings and discourse analytic traditions.
My current research is designed to extend and enrich the theories investigated within my research practicum, which focused on identity construction in a remedial college algebra class (see Theakston, 2012; Theakston Musselman, 2012). For this project, I investigated classroom practices and norms as described by students enrolled in a remedial college algebra class. In this study, I sought to operationalize and investigate Cobb, Gresalfi, and Hodge’s (2009) concept of normative identity. My primary findings were two-fold: First, that students often observed and similarly described classroom norms, but that their interpretations and evaluations varied substantially from one student to the next. Second, I found that students believed they had little agency in changing classroom practices and that the course instructor was the sole individual responsible for creating and maintaining classroom norms. The findings from my practicum research left me curious about the role of context in identity development. Specifically, I wondered about contexts and practices that might support and empower students.
One of the broader goals of my dissertation is to learn about the ways in which postsecondary institutions can support student persistence and motivation to learn mathematics. I see this project as a launching point for a research agenda focused on student access and achievement as it relates to identity in an educational context. In particular, I plan to extend my research to other women’s colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, and community colleges so that the field might learn more about how these institutions support women, students of color, and first-generation college students to successfully complete degrees in mathematics. I believe that this research agenda has potential significance on two fronts: First, with respect to educational research, my work will add to current conversations about how to conduct identity- and gender-related research, and to extend the literature which focuses solely on in-class experiences. Second, with respect to policy and practice, I believe that my work will be able to provide empirical data to secondary institutions about their impact on students, and will illuminate potentially supportive and effective environments and practices.
References
Cobb, P., Gresalfi, M., & Hodge, L. L. (2009). An interpretive scheme for analyzing the identities that students develop in mathematics classrooms. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 40(1), 40-68.
Gee, J. An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. (Vol. Third). New York, NY; Routledge.
Martin, D. B., Gholson, M. L., & Leonard, J. (2010). Mathematics as gatekeeper: Power and privilege in the production of knowledge. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, 3(2).
Stinson, D. W. (2004). Mathematics as "gatekeeper"(?): Three theoretical perspectives that aim toward empowering all children with a key to the gate. The Mathematics Educator, 14(1), 8-18.
Suh, H., Theakston Musselman, A., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., & Steele, M. D. (2013). Teacher positioning and agency to act: Talking about "low-level" students. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Chicago, IL: University of Illi- nois at Chicago.
Theakston, A. (2012). The search for the normative identity in a college algebra class. Paper presented at the 15th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, Portland, OR.
Theakston Musselman, A. (2012). That’s why people don’t ask questions, ’cause they look at you with that blazing stare. Paper presented at the 34th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Kalamazoo, MI: Western Michigan University.
My current research is designed to extend and enrich the theories investigated within my research practicum, which focused on identity construction in a remedial college algebra class (see Theakston, 2012; Theakston Musselman, 2012). For this project, I investigated classroom practices and norms as described by students enrolled in a remedial college algebra class. In this study, I sought to operationalize and investigate Cobb, Gresalfi, and Hodge’s (2009) concept of normative identity. My primary findings were two-fold: First, that students often observed and similarly described classroom norms, but that their interpretations and evaluations varied substantially from one student to the next. Second, I found that students believed they had little agency in changing classroom practices and that the course instructor was the sole individual responsible for creating and maintaining classroom norms. The findings from my practicum research left me curious about the role of context in identity development. Specifically, I wondered about contexts and practices that might support and empower students.
One of the broader goals of my dissertation is to learn about the ways in which postsecondary institutions can support student persistence and motivation to learn mathematics. I see this project as a launching point for a research agenda focused on student access and achievement as it relates to identity in an educational context. In particular, I plan to extend my research to other women’s colleges, historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, and community colleges so that the field might learn more about how these institutions support women, students of color, and first-generation college students to successfully complete degrees in mathematics. I believe that this research agenda has potential significance on two fronts: First, with respect to educational research, my work will add to current conversations about how to conduct identity- and gender-related research, and to extend the literature which focuses solely on in-class experiences. Second, with respect to policy and practice, I believe that my work will be able to provide empirical data to secondary institutions about their impact on students, and will illuminate potentially supportive and effective environments and practices.
References
Cobb, P., Gresalfi, M., & Hodge, L. L. (2009). An interpretive scheme for analyzing the identities that students develop in mathematics classrooms. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 40(1), 40-68.
Gee, J. An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method. (Vol. Third). New York, NY; Routledge.
Martin, D. B., Gholson, M. L., & Leonard, J. (2010). Mathematics as gatekeeper: Power and privilege in the production of knowledge. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, 3(2).
Stinson, D. W. (2004). Mathematics as "gatekeeper"(?): Three theoretical perspectives that aim toward empowering all children with a key to the gate. The Mathematics Educator, 14(1), 8-18.
Suh, H., Theakston Musselman, A., Herbel-Eisenmann, B., & Steele, M. D. (2013). Teacher positioning and agency to act: Talking about "low-level" students. Paper presented at the 35th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Chicago, IL: University of Illi- nois at Chicago.
Theakston, A. (2012). The search for the normative identity in a college algebra class. Paper presented at the 15th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, Portland, OR.
Theakston Musselman, A. (2012). That’s why people don’t ask questions, ’cause they look at you with that blazing stare. Paper presented at the 34th Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Kalamazoo, MI: Western Michigan University.
Graduate Research
Alex on Robben Island, South Africa
Dissertation
Research Practicum
Comprehensive Examination
- Mathematics Majors at All-Women's Colleges: Exploring Identity and Context
Research Practicum
- The Search for a Normative Identity Within a Particular Classroom Context
Comprehensive Examination
- Depth Paper: Situated Insights on Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice
- Breadth Paper, Day One: Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Division of Fractions
- Breath Paper, Day Two: Student Learning and the Standards Debate
Research Projects
Mathematics Discourse in Secondary Classrooms (M-DISC)
Beth Herbel-Eisenmann, Michelle Cirillo (University of Delaware), and Mike Steele, co-PIs
MDISC is a collaboration between mathematics educators at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware to create professional development materials for secondary mathematics teachers. Because there is evidence that having students articulate their ideas, explain their reasoning, and engage in mathematical discussions improves students’ opportunities to learn, the MDISC materials focus on mathematics discourse – that is, the ways in which communication and meaning-making occur in the classroom. The MDISC professional development curriculum is designed as a basis for secondary mathematics teachers to...
Strengthening Tomorrow's Education in Measurement (STEM)
John P. Smith III, PI
The STEM Project aims to assist educators (classroom teachers, pre-service teachers, curriculum developers, and assessment professionals) in enriching students’ classroom experiences and learning about the measurement of space (length, area, and volume). Currently, too many students learn measurement poorly and this hurts their understanding and progress in both mathematics and science. One central project task is to assess the capacity of current elementary mathematics written curriculum materials. We have explored this question by investigating three representative elementary mathematics curricula: Scott-Foresman/Addison Wesley’s Mathematics (Michigan edition), Everyday Mathematics, and Saxon Math to support robust student learning. We have also completed some more cursory investigations of other elementary and middle school curriculum materials. Thus far, we have focused on elementary curriculum materials because measurement of all three spatial quantities (length, area, and volume) is introduced and developed in the elementary years. Understanding the limitations of current curricula helps us help teachers see how they can enrich their teaching and work with students.
Beth Herbel-Eisenmann, Michelle Cirillo (University of Delaware), and Mike Steele, co-PIs
MDISC is a collaboration between mathematics educators at Michigan State University and the University of Delaware to create professional development materials for secondary mathematics teachers. Because there is evidence that having students articulate their ideas, explain their reasoning, and engage in mathematical discussions improves students’ opportunities to learn, the MDISC materials focus on mathematics discourse – that is, the ways in which communication and meaning-making occur in the classroom. The MDISC professional development curriculum is designed as a basis for secondary mathematics teachers to...
- understand aspects of classroom discourse and its relationship to supporting student learning;
- raise awareness of the discourse patterns at work in their own classrooms;
- identify discourse patterns that could be used more purposefully to support student learning; and
- more purposefully negotiate classroom discourse patterns that can help students develop discourse practices involving high-level mathematical explanation, justification, and argumentation.
Strengthening Tomorrow's Education in Measurement (STEM)
John P. Smith III, PI
The STEM Project aims to assist educators (classroom teachers, pre-service teachers, curriculum developers, and assessment professionals) in enriching students’ classroom experiences and learning about the measurement of space (length, area, and volume). Currently, too many students learn measurement poorly and this hurts their understanding and progress in both mathematics and science. One central project task is to assess the capacity of current elementary mathematics written curriculum materials. We have explored this question by investigating three representative elementary mathematics curricula: Scott-Foresman/Addison Wesley’s Mathematics (Michigan edition), Everyday Mathematics, and Saxon Math to support robust student learning. We have also completed some more cursory investigations of other elementary and middle school curriculum materials. Thus far, we have focused on elementary curriculum materials because measurement of all three spatial quantities (length, area, and volume) is introduced and developed in the elementary years. Understanding the limitations of current curricula helps us help teachers see how they can enrich their teaching and work with students.