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Crafter, Sarah and de Abreu, Guida
(2013).
Abstract
In this paper we examine children's representations of mathematical achiever identity. In the UK 'ability setting' in mathematics is a prevalent practice and one which some academics have argued, is detrimental for both high and low-achievers. We agree, and suggest that from a young age children develop particular meanings around mathematics achiever identities which can have a negative impact in light of institutional 'ability setting'. A sociocultural perspective frames this work through the concept of mediation, which directly addresses the construction of meanings and identities of a learner - either through the role of 'others' or through self-identification. To explore the representations of achiever identities in very young children (6/7 years and 10/11 years) we developed a 'child identity task' using a story completion technique. The child is asked to produce a story, containing specific prompts provided by the interviewer, which in this case focused on a boy/girl who was a high-achiever or low-achiever in mathematics. The children were asked to comment on the characters thoughts and feelings about mathematics. Twenty-seven children from two different schools participated. Of these, only one group of year-2 children were not put into 'ability sets'. Findings from the identity task show the complexity of children's representations of low and high-achiever in mathematics. On the surface the high-achiever likes mathematics more than the low-achiever. However, common to both characters were feelings of fear, speed of processing difficulties or boredom. Relationships with others (friends, parents, teachers) could be particularly fraught for the low-achiever at home and school.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
