Understanding Students' Experiences and Social Perceptions of Their Peers in Linguistically Diverse Mathematics Classrooms
Abstract
In order to gain insight into the experiences and social perceptions of university students regarding their peers in mathematics classrooms that are linguistically diverse, this study employs interviews with three undergraduates. The results suggest that students' mathematical learning could be significantly impacted by the languages spoken by their peers, while their engagement in classroom discussions could be influenced by their cultural backgrounds.
I am interested in this topic because of my educational and linguistic background. I have a bachelor's degree in applied physics and a master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). In addition, I am a non-native English speaker who has lived and studied in English-speaking countries for several years. Consequently, I am aware of the challenges and problems that arise in a mathematics classroom with a diverse student body. During my studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, the mathematics courses included tutorial sections that encouraged peer discussion. An international student never spoke during group discussions. He seldom participated in the group conversation, but whenever I asked a difficult question, he could always provide an accurate response. Posing the question, “why do you never participate in lesson discussions?” they responded that English is not their native tongue and that they don’t know what others will believe. Therefore, I wish to explore students’ experiences and how they perceive one another during mathematical discussions.
Although numerous scholars have studied views and attitudes in mathematical instruction up to this point (e.g., Deale & Lee, 2022; Riegle-Crumb & Humphries, 2012), students' perceptions of their peers in linguistically diverse mathematics classrooms have gotten little consideration. More research is needed to understand the connection between student perception and language diversity in undergraduate mathematics instruction.
This investigation is predicated on a broad research question: What are students’ experiences and social perceptions of their peers in linguistically diverse mathematics classrooms?
