Transforming mathematical identity: changes in one international student’s positioning during first-year mathematics tutorials

Abstract

In many countries, international students form a distinct cohort in first-year mathematics courses. For these students, the transition to university mathematics may demand significant adaptation. A research-based understanding of their experiences would enable host universities to provide effective support as they transition from school mathematics in their home countries to a foreign university context. In this study we analyse four episodes in which an international student from China interacted with the tutor during collaborative first-year tutorials at a New Zealand university. The first two episodes occurred near the start of the semester, and the others towards the end. The analysis reveals changes in the student’s positioning of herself over successive episodes as she embraced local classroom norms. We propose that her positioning shift facilitated a process through which the tutor was able to support her mathematics learning more effectively.