Language, Comfort Speaking, and Collaboration: A QuantCrit Analysis of Multilingual Students’ Experiences in Introductory College Mathematics Courses

Abstract

Active learning practices, like groupwork, are becoming more widely used in post-secondary mathematics classrooms. These practices are often talk-intensive and require interpersonal interactions. As such, it remains an open question the extent to which practices like groupwork equitably support students with different social identities, including identities that center language. The goal of this paper is to use critical quantitative methodology to analyze the experiences of students in introductory college mathematics courses, particularly in courses that require peer collaboration. The data for this paper stems from surveys completed by 464 undergraduate students with different language backgrounds. The analysis identifies relationships that existed between the identities students brought to the classroom and the identities they developed in introductory mathematics courses. Using linear regression models, the study found that students’ comfort speaking during class and the language they preferred to do mathematics in were associated with practice-linked identities, like sense of belonging among peers. Findings also suggest an interaction between these variables and the frequency that students engaged in peer collaboration. This study contributes to the growing body of literature documenting how students with marginalized identities may have differential experiences with active learning practices, like groupwork.