Imagining the mathematician: young people talking about popular representations of maths

Abstract

This paper makes both a critical analysis of some popular cultural texts about mathematics and mathematicians, and explores the ways in which young people deploy the discourses produced in these texts. We argue that there are particular (and sometimes contradictory) meanings and discourses about mathematics that circulate in popular culture, that young people use these as resources in identity making as (non-)mathematicians, negotiating their meaning in ways that are not always predictable, and that their influence on young people is diffuse and nevertheless important. The paper discusses the discourses that prevail in some of the popular cultural images of mathematics and mathematicians that came up in our research. We show how mathematics is represented as a secret language, while mathematicians are often mad, mostly male and almost invariably white. We then explore how young people negotiate these discourses, positioning themselves in relation to mathematics. Here we draw attention to the fact that both those who continue with mathematics after it ceases to be compulsory and those who do not, deploy similar images of mathematics and mathematicians. What is different is how they respond to and negotiate these images.

“Doing” science versus “being” a scientist: Examining 10/11‐year‐old schoolchildren's constructions of science through the lens of identity

“…The notion of the scientist as a brilliant (if eccentric) genius has also been noted in popular stereotypes of mathematicians (Epstein, Mendick, & Moreau, 2010), who observed how often, within young people's views, there is a conflation between being good at mathematics; masculinity; high intelligence; and middle/upper classsness. Moreau et al (in press) also found that 14/15‐year‐old school students differentiated between stereotypical representations of mathematicians (who are short‐haired geniuses) and scientists, who have long, wild hair (“scientists have crazy hair”).…”

Boffin and geek identities: abject or privileged?

“…She argued that it is not just their age, but also membership of a community of practice of mathematics undergraduates who shared their views, that enabled this redefinition. While for Nathan, there were more risks of being ostracised ; see also Epstein, Mendick, and Moreau 2010).…”

Think-Talk-Write Model for Improving Students' Abilities in Mathematical Representation

“…Mathematical representation can be presented in visual (e.g., charts, tables, sketches/drawings, and diagrams) and non-visual representations (e.g., mathematical equations and models) (Minarni at al., 2016;Thompson & Chappell, 2007). Numerous studies related to visual representations have been conducted to discuss various problem solving of the word problem (Epstein at al., 2010;Geeslin & Shavelson, 1975;Güler & Author, 2011;Stylianou & Silver, 2009;Thompson & Chappell, 2007;Webel at al., 2016), with additional studies on the use of technology in mathematical representation (Kendal & Stacey, 2003;Ohlsson, 1998;Reilly at al., 1997) and on the elements used to generate relationships in mathematics learning (Moon International Journal of Instruction, July 2018• Vol.11, No.3 at al., 2013. Moreover, mathematical representation research related to socioeconomics has been carried out (Boulton-Lewis & Halford, 1992;Martínez-Sierra at al., 2015;Minibaeva at al., 2016;Moon at al., 2013).…”