Browsing by Subject "identiteettityö"

Mathematical identity is a relatively new concept and it is defined somewhat differently in various sources. Therefore the purpose of this study is to create a synthesis of the different definitions of mathematical identity in order to obtain an overall picture of what the mathematical identity is and how it is formed. Previous studies have shown that negative mathematical identity deteriorates individual's performance in the mathematics, and the experience of failure caused by poor performance undermines individual's mathematical identity, and thus a vicious circle, that is difficult to break, is created. However, different studies have found some ways to support the individual's mathematical identity to a positive one. Hence another task in this research is to present different means to improve individual’s mathematical identity. I searched answers to my research questions by reading studies, articles and other relevant literature related to my subject. For the search of articles and studies I used well-known search engines, such as the Nelli -portal and Google Scholar as well as the search engines of the most famous journals of our discipline. By combining the definitions set out in previous studies, I consider that mathematical identity describes the individual's relationship towards mathematics. Individual’s mathematical identity is expressed in the way he or she talks about math. Individual’s experiences in mathematics affects to the formation of one’s mathematical identity. Mathematical identity is situational and it changes throughout the life. Also, the surrounding social context affects the individual's mathematical identity. Studies have shown that dealing with one’s own mathematical past is important if one wants to improve his or her mathematical identity. Also, those people who are close to the person who tries to change his or her mathematical identity, should try to change their own attitudes to more supportive ones. In addition, the collaborative learning culture in classroom supports positive mathematical identity. If students have positive mathematical identity, the math does not cause them anxiety, and the teacher's time is not so much wasted on dealing with the undesirable effects caused by the negative mathematical identity. Creating positive mathematical identity is also important for society as the more and more technological world needs more specialists of mathematics and natural science.