Abstract
The construct of identity has been used widely in mathematics education in order to understand how students (and teachers) relate to and engage with the subject (Kaasila, 2007; Sfard & Prusak, 2005; Boaler, 2002). Drawing on cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), this paper adopts Leont’ev’s notion of leading activity in order to explore the key ‘significant’ activities that are implicated in the development of students’ reflexive understanding of self and how this may offer differing relations with mathematics. According to Leont’ev (1981), leading activities are those which are significant to the development of the individual’s psyche through the emergence of new motives for engagement. We suggest that alongside new motives for engagement comes a new understanding of self—a leading identity—which reflects a hierarchy of our motives. Narrative analysis of interviews with two students (aged 16–17 years old) in post-compulsory education, Mary and Lee, are presented. Mary holds a stable ‘vocational’ leading identity throughout her narrative and, thus, her motive for studying mathematics is defined by its ‘use value’ in terms of pursuing this vocation. In contrast, Lee develops a leading identity which is focused on the activity of studying and becoming a university student. As such, his motive for study is framed in terms of the exchange value of the qualifications he hopes to obtain. We argue that this empirical grounding of leading activity and leading identity offers new insights into students’ identity development.
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Notes
In England students are required to take compulsory mathematics up until the age of 16, when they sit their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Post-16, they can opt to take four advanced-subsidiary subjects (AS level) of their choice which are then typically refined to three advanced-level subjects (A-level) at the age of 17.
Here, we refer to ‘development’ as a process of change which the individual experiences in ‘becoming’ someone new—in line with their participation in and transition between socially and culturally situated activities.
Further and higher education refers to universities and colleges which students attend having completed their advanced level subjects (or equivalent qualifications).
In England, post-16 education is taught in various locations, including schools, sixth-form colleges and further education colleges (which also teach some higher-education programmes). Mary and Lee both attended sixth-form colleges.
Interestingly, we have interviewed Mary on two more occasions as part of another project as she has moved into university and these, again, have shown little change to her story.
UCAS is the university and college admissions system—all advanced-level qualifications have UCAS tariff points assigned to them which determine their value as per the entrance requirements of university courses.
Once students have received offers to study on a particular course from their chosen universities, they then have the opportunity to select two courses—one as a firm choice and one as an insurance should they not make the grades for the former.
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Acknowledgements
This research has been funded by the ESRC Teaching and Learning Programme under the theme of Widening Participation in HE (RES139-25-0241). We would like to thank them for their continued support.
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Black, L., Williams, J., Hernandez-Martinez, P. et al. Developing a ‘leading identity’: the relationship between students’ mathematical identities and their career and higher education aspirations. Educ Stud Math 73, 55–72 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-009-9217-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-009-9217-x