Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study

Sonia Kafoussi; Petros Chaviaris; Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos

doi:10.29333/iejme/6279

Full Text (PDF)

Sonia Kafoussi ¹ ^* , Petros Chaviaris ¹, Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos ¹

More Detail

¹ University of the Aegean, GREECE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

In this paper, we present a qualitative study about the parental influences on sixth graders’ mathematical identity. The case study was conducted in a Greek primary school where fifteen children were interviewed through a series of questions for each of the following axes: attainment, attitudes, values, nature of mathematics, self-confidence and child-parent collaboration for homework, in line with the tri-focused model of Abreu and Cline (2003).The analyses drew upon two directions a) the students’ positioning and, b) the types of students’ resources. The results of the conducted analyses revealed qualitative differences with respect to the students’ self-identification; between those who are self-identified as ‘good’ at mathematics and those who identified themselves as being ‘average’ at mathematics. According to our results the parental influences on the construction of the students’ mathematical identity at home is interwoven with their interaction with their parents. The students expressed positive dispositions and beliefs about their ability to participate and perform effectively in mathematical tasks when they collaborated with their parents at home in an environment of confidence.

Keywords

mathematical identity
parental influences
primary education
case study

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 15, Issue 2, May 2020, Article No: em0572

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

Publication date: 10 Nov 2019

Article Views: 2831

Article Downloads: 1741

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Abreu, G. de (1995). Understanding how children experience the relationship between home and school mathematics. Mind, Culture and Activity, 2(2), 119-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039509524693
Abreu, G. de, & Cline, T. (2003). Schooled mathematics and cultural knowledge. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 11(1), 11-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681360300200158
Abreu, G. de, Cline, T., & Shamsi, T. (2002). Exploring ways parents participate in their children’s school mathematical learning: Cases studies in multiethnic primary schools. In G. de Abreu, A. Bishop & N. Presmeg (Eds.), Transitions between contexts of mathematical practices (pp. 123-147). Boston, MA: Kluwer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47674-6_6
Abreu, G. de, Gorgorio, N., & Boistrup, L. B. (2018). Diversity in mathematics education. In T. Dreyfus, M. Artigue, D. Potari, S. Prediger, & K. Ruthven (2018). Developing Research in Mathematics Education: Twenty years of communication in Europe (pp. 211-222). Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Anderson, A. (1997). Families and Mathematics: a study of parent- child interactions. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(4), 484-511. https://doi.org/10.2307/749684
Boud, D., & Falchikov, N. (2007). Rethinking assessment in higher education learning for the longer term. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203964309
Bratton, J., Civil, M., & Quintos, B. (2006). Engaging with parents on a critical dialogue about mathematical education. In M. Bosch (Ed.), Proceedings of the Fourth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 1182-1192). Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain: FUNDEMI IQS – Universitat Ramon Llull and ERME.
Cai, J., Moyer, J.C. & Wang, N. (1997, March). Parental Roles in Students’ Learning of Mathematics: An Exploratory Study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, USA. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED 412187)
Cao, Z., Bishop, A., & Forgasz, H. (2006). Perceived parental influence on mathematics learning: a comparison among students in China and Australia. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 64(1), 85-106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-006-9033-5
Crafter, S. (2012). Parental cultural models and resources for understanding mathematical achievement in culturally diverse school settings. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 81(1), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-011-9359-5
Crafter, S., & Abreu, G. de (2010). Constructing identities in multicultural learning contexts. Mind, Culture and Activity, 17(2), 102-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749030802707895
Darragh, L. (2016). Identity research in mathematics education. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 93(1), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-016-9696-5
Galindο, C., & Sheldon, S. (2012). School and home connections and children’s kindergarten achievement gains: The mediating role of family involvement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), 90-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.05.004
Graven, M., & Metzuyanim, E. (2019). Mathematics identity research: the state of the art and future directions. Review and introduction to ZDM Special Issue on Identity in Mathematics Education. ZDM, 51(3), 361-377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-019-01050-y
Hepworth-Berger, E. (2004). Parents as partners in education. NJ, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Hodge, L., & Cobb, P. (2018). Two views of culture and their implications for mathematics teaching and learning. Urban Education, 1-25.
Hyde, J. S., Else-Quest, N. M., Alibali, M. W., Knuth, E., & Romberg, T. (2006). Mathematics in the home: Homework practices and mother–child interactions doing mathematics. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 25(2), 136-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmathb.2006.02.003
Ishimaru, A., Barajas-Lopez, F. & Bang, M. (2015). Centering family knowledge to develop children’s empowered mathematics identities. Journal of Family Diversity in Education, 1(4), 1-21.
Jacobs, J. E. & Bleeker, M. (2004). Girls’ and boys’ developing interests in Math and Science: do parents matter? New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 106, 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.113
Kafoussi, S. (2006). Parents’ and students’ interaction in mathematics: designing home mathematical activities. Proceedings of CIEAEM 58, Quaderni di Ricerca in Didattica (Mathematics), 19(3), 79-85.
Kafoussi, S., Moutsios-Rentzos, A., & Chaviaris, P. (2017). Investigating parental influences on sixth graders' mathematical identity: the case of attainment. In A. Chronaki (Ed.), Proceedings of the 9^th International Mathematics Education and Society Conference (MES 9), vol. 2, 592–602. Volos, Greece: University of Thessaly Press.
Kafoussi, S., Moutsios-Rentzos, A., & Chaviaris, P. (2019). Constructing students’ mathematical identity at home: the case of homework. Proceedings of CIEAEM 71 (in press).
Keitel, C., & Vithal, R. (2008). Mathematical power as political power-the politics of mathematics education. In P. Clarkson, N. Presmeg (Eds.), Critical Issues in Mathematics Education, (167-186). Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09673-5_12
Knapp, Α., Landers, R., Liang, S., & Jefferson, V. (2017). We all as a family are graduating tonight: a case for mathematical knowledge for parental involvement. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 95(1), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-016-9741-4
Lange, T., & Meaney, T. (2011). I actually started to scream: emotional and mathematical trauma from doing school mathematics homework. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 77(1), 35-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-011-9298-1
Martin, D. B. (2007). Mathematics learning and participation in the African American context: The co-construction of identity in two intersecting realms of experience. In N. S. Nasir & P. Cobb (Eds.), Improving access to mathematics: Diversity and equity in the classroom (pp. 146-158). New York: Teachers College Press.
Moutsios-Rentzos, A., Chaviaris, P., & Kafoussi, S. (2015). School socio-cultural identity and perceived parental involvement about mathematics learning in Greece. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 4(3), 234-259.
Moutsios-Rentzos, Α., & Leontiou, E. (2016). Systemic investigations about parental involvement in mathematics. In B. Maj-Tatsis, M. Pytlak, & E. Swoboda (Eds.). Inquiry based mathematical education (pp. 207-217). Rzeszow, Poland: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego.
Mylonas, K., Gari, A., Giotsa, A., Pavlopoulos, V., & Panagiotopoulou, P. (2006). In J. Georgas, J. W. Berry, F. Van de Vijver, C. Kagitçibasi, & Y. H. Poortinga, Y. (Eds.), Families across cultures: A 30-nation psychological study (pp. 344-352). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Nasir, N. S. & Hand, V. (2008). From the court to the classroom: Opportunities for engagement, learning, and identity in basketball and classroom mathematics. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 17(2), 143-179. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508400801986108
Nasir, N. S., & Cooks, J. (2009). Becoming a Hurdler: How Learning Settings Afford Identities. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 40(1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1492.2009.01027.x
NCTM (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Nova-Kaltsouni, C. (2018). Oikogeneia kai oikogeneiakes scheseis [Family and familial relationships]. Athens, Greece: Gutenberg.
Ntow, F. D., & Adler, J. (2019). Identity resources and mathematics teaching identity: An exploratory study. ZDM, 51(3), 419-432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-019-01025-z
Pepin, B., & Roesken-Winter, B. (Eds.). (2015). From beliefs to dynamic affect systems in mathematics education: exploring a mosaic of relationships and interactions. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06808-4
Pezdek, K., Berry, T., & Renno, P. A. (2002). Children’s mathematics achievement: The role of parents’ perceptions and their involvement in homework. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(4), 771-777. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.94.4.771
Radovic, D., Black, L., Williams, J., & Salas, C. (2018). Towards conceptual coherence in the research on mathematics learner identity: a systematic review of the literature. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 99(1), 21-42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9819-2
Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling Identities: In Search of an Analytical Tool for Investigating Learning as a Cultural Shaped Activity. Educational Researcher, 34(4), 14-22. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X034004014
Skovsmose, O. (2005). Foreground and politics of learning obstacles. For the Learning of Mathematics, 25(1), 4-10.
Takeuchi, M. (2018). Power and identity in immigrant parents’ involvement in early years mathematics learning. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 97(1), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-017-9781-4
Turner, E., Dominguez, H., Maldonado, L., & Empson,S. (2013). English learners’ participation in mathematical discussion: shifting positionings and dynamic identities. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 44(1), 199-234. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.44.1.0199
Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M. (2003). The didactical use of models in realistic mathematics education: An example from a longitudinal trajectory on percentage. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 54(1), 9-35. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EDUC.0000005212.03219.dc
Wagner, D. & Herbel-Eisenmann, B. (2009). Re-mythologizing mathematics through attention to classroom positioning. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 72, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-008-9178-5
Wang, D. B. (2004). Family background factors and mathematics success: A comparison of Chinese and US students. International Journal of Educational Research, 41(1), 40-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2005.04.013
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803932

How to cite this article

APA

Kafoussi, S., Chaviaris, P., & Moutsios-Rentzos, A. (2020). Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(2), em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

Vancouver

Kafoussi S, Chaviaris P, Moutsios-Rentzos A. Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(2):em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

AMA

Kafoussi S, Chaviaris P, Moutsios-Rentzos A. Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(2), em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

Chicago

Kafoussi, Sonia, Petros Chaviaris, and Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos. "Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2020 15 no. 2 (2020): em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

Harvard

Kafoussi, S., Chaviaris, P., and Moutsios-Rentzos, A. (2020). Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(2), em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279

MLA

Kafoussi, Sonia et al. "Investigating Parental Influences on Sixth Graders’ Mathematical Identity in Greece: A Case Study". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 15, no. 2, 2020, em0572. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/6279