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‘Re’-presenting qualitative data from multilingual mathematics classrooms

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Abstract

In this paper I consider what it means to ‘re’-present qualitative data from multilingual mathematics classrooms. I draw from a recent study that focused on language practices in multilingual mathematics classrooms to explore the different levels involved in the ‘re’-presentation of multilingual data. The purpose of the paper is not to discuss the details of the study but to use data from the study to raise the awareness of the conceptual underpinnings of data re-presentation in mathematics education research. I use the data to show one perspective to ‘re’-presentation of multilingual data. The main argument of the paper is that ‘re’-presentation of multilingual data is not just talk written down, it is inevitably a process of selection and is informed by theory, research questions, tools of analysis and the purposes of re-presenting the data.

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Setati, M. ‘Re’-presenting qualitative data from multilingual mathematics classrooms. Zentralblatt für Didaktik der Mathematik 35, 294–300 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02656693

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