'Fake It Until You Make It': Participation and Positioning of a Bilingual Latina Student in Mathematics and Computing
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| Title: | 'Fake It Until You Make It': Participation and Positioning of a Bilingual Latina Student in Mathematics and Computing |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Celedón-Pattichis, Sylvia, Kussainova, Gulnara, LópezLeiva, Carlos A., Pattichis, Marios S. |
| Source: | Teachers College Record. May 2022 124(5):186-205. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 1613637 1949230 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Student Participation, Bilingual Students, Hispanic American Students, Mathematics Education, Computer Science Education, Middle School Students, After School Programs, Psychological Patterns, Language Usage |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01614681221104106 |
| ISSN: | 0161-4681 1467-9620 |
| Abstract: | Background/Context: After-school programs that focus on integrating computer programming and mathematics in authentic environments are seldomly accessible to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly bilingual Latina students in rural contexts. Providing a context that broadens Latina students' participation in mathematics and computer programming requires educators to carefully examine how verbal and nonverbal language is used to interact and to position students as they learn new concepts in middle school. This is also an important stage for adolescents because they are likely to make decisions about their future careers in STEM. Having access to discourse and teaching practices that invite students to participate in mathematics and computer programming affords them opportunities to engage with these fields. Purpose/Focus of Study: This case study analyzes how small-group interactions mediated the positionings of Cindy, a bilingual Latina, as she learned binary numbers in an after-school program that integrated computer programming and mathematics (CPM). Setting: The Advancing Out-of-School Learning in Mathematics and Engineering (AOLME) program was held in a rural bilingual (Spanish and English) middle school in the Southwest. The after-school program was designed to provide experiences for primarily Latinx students to learn how to integrate mathematics with computer programming using Raspberry Pi and Python as a platform. Our case study explores how Cindy was positioned as she interacted with two undergraduate engineering students who served as facilitators while learning binary numbers with a group of three middle school students. Research Design: This single intrinsic case focused on exploring how small-group interactions among four students mediated Cindy's positionings as she learned binary numbers through her participation in AOLME. Data sources included twelve 90-minute video sessions and Cindy's journal and curriculum binder. Video logs were created, and transcripts were coded to describe verbal and nonverbal interactions among the facilitators and Cindy. Analysis of select episodes was conducted using systemic functional linguistics (SFL), specifically language modality, to identify how positioning took place. These episodes and positioning analysis describe how Cindy, with others, navigated the process of learning binary numbers under the stereotype that female students are not as good at mathematics as male students. Findings: From our analysis, three themes that emerged from the data portray Cindy's experiences learning binary numbers. The major themes are: (1) Cindy's struggle to reveal her understanding of binary numbers in a competitive context, (2) Cindy's use of "fake it until you make it" to hide her cognitive dissonance, and (3) the use of Spanish and peers' support to resolve Cindy's understanding of binary numbers. The positioning patterns observed help us learn how, when Cindy's bilingualism was viewed and promoted as an asset, this social context worked as a generative axis that addressed the challenges of learning binary numbers. The contrasting episodes highlight the facilitators' productive teaching strategies and relations that nurtured Cindy's social and intellectual participation in CPM. Conclusions/Recommendations: Cindy's case demonstrates how the facilitator's teaching, and participants' interactions and discourse practices contributed to her qualitatively different positionings while she learned binary numbers, and how she persevered in this process. Analysis of communication acts supported our understanding of how Cindy's positionings underpinned the discourse; how the facilitators' and students' discourse formed, shaped, or shifted Cindy's positioning; and how discourse was larger than gender storylines that went beyond classroom interactions. Cindy's case reveals the danger of placing students in "struggle" instead of a "productive struggle." The findings illustrated that when Cindy was placed in struggle when confronting responding moves by the facilitator, her "safe" reaction was hiding and avoiding. In contrast, we also learned about the importance of empathetic, nurturing supporting responses that encourage students' productive struggle to do better. We invite instructors to notice students' hiding or avoiding and consider Cindy's case. Furthermore, we recommend that teachers notice their choice of language because this is important in terms of positioning students. We also highlight Cindy's agency as she chose to take up her friend's suggestion to "fake it" rather than give up. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1349667 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1349667 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: 'Fake It Until You Make It': Participation and Positioning of a Bilingual Latina Student in Mathematics and Computing – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Celedón-Pattichis%2C+Sylvia%22">Celedón-Pattichis, Sylvia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kussainova%2C+Gulnara%22">Kussainova, Gulnara</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22LópezLeiva%2C+Carlos+A%2E%22">LópezLeiva, Carlos A.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pattichis%2C+Marios+S%2E%22">Pattichis, Marios S.</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Teachers+College+Record%22"><i>Teachers College Record</i></searchLink>. May 2022 124(5):186-205. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 20 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: SourceSuprt Label: Sponsoring Agency Group: SrcSuprt Data: National Science Foundation (NSF) – Name: NumberContract Label: Contract Number Group: NumCntrct Data: 1613637<br />1949230 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Participation%22">Student Participation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bilingual+Students%22">Bilingual Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hispanic+American+Students%22">Hispanic American Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematics+Education%22">Mathematics Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Science+Education%22">Computer Science Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Middle+School+Students%22">Middle School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22After+School+Programs%22">After School Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+Patterns%22">Psychological Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Usage%22">Language Usage</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1177/01614681221104106 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0161-4681<br />1467-9620 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Background/Context: After-school programs that focus on integrating computer programming and mathematics in authentic environments are seldomly accessible to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly bilingual Latina students in rural contexts. Providing a context that broadens Latina students' participation in mathematics and computer programming requires educators to carefully examine how verbal and nonverbal language is used to interact and to position students as they learn new concepts in middle school. This is also an important stage for adolescents because they are likely to make decisions about their future careers in STEM. Having access to discourse and teaching practices that invite students to participate in mathematics and computer programming affords them opportunities to engage with these fields. Purpose/Focus of Study: This case study analyzes how small-group interactions mediated the positionings of Cindy, a bilingual Latina, as she learned binary numbers in an after-school program that integrated computer programming and mathematics (CPM). Setting: The Advancing Out-of-School Learning in Mathematics and Engineering (AOLME) program was held in a rural bilingual (Spanish and English) middle school in the Southwest. The after-school program was designed to provide experiences for primarily Latinx students to learn how to integrate mathematics with computer programming using Raspberry Pi and Python as a platform. Our case study explores how Cindy was positioned as she interacted with two undergraduate engineering students who served as facilitators while learning binary numbers with a group of three middle school students. Research Design: This single intrinsic case focused on exploring how small-group interactions among four students mediated Cindy's positionings as she learned binary numbers through her participation in AOLME. Data sources included twelve 90-minute video sessions and Cindy's journal and curriculum binder. Video logs were created, and transcripts were coded to describe verbal and nonverbal interactions among the facilitators and Cindy. Analysis of select episodes was conducted using systemic functional linguistics (SFL), specifically language modality, to identify how positioning took place. These episodes and positioning analysis describe how Cindy, with others, navigated the process of learning binary numbers under the stereotype that female students are not as good at mathematics as male students. Findings: From our analysis, three themes that emerged from the data portray Cindy's experiences learning binary numbers. The major themes are: (1) Cindy's struggle to reveal her understanding of binary numbers in a competitive context, (2) Cindy's use of "fake it until you make it" to hide her cognitive dissonance, and (3) the use of Spanish and peers' support to resolve Cindy's understanding of binary numbers. The positioning patterns observed help us learn how, when Cindy's bilingualism was viewed and promoted as an asset, this social context worked as a generative axis that addressed the challenges of learning binary numbers. The contrasting episodes highlight the facilitators' productive teaching strategies and relations that nurtured Cindy's social and intellectual participation in CPM. Conclusions/Recommendations: Cindy's case demonstrates how the facilitator's teaching, and participants' interactions and discourse practices contributed to her qualitatively different positionings while she learned binary numbers, and how she persevered in this process. Analysis of communication acts supported our understanding of how Cindy's positionings underpinned the discourse; how the facilitators' and students' discourse formed, shaped, or shifted Cindy's positioning; and how discourse was larger than gender storylines that went beyond classroom interactions. Cindy's case reveals the danger of placing students in "struggle" instead of a "productive struggle." The findings illustrated that when Cindy was placed in struggle when confronting responding moves by the facilitator, her "safe" reaction was hiding and avoiding. In contrast, we also learned about the importance of empathetic, nurturing supporting responses that encourage students' productive struggle to do better. We invite instructors to notice students' hiding or avoiding and consider Cindy's case. Furthermore, we recommend that teachers notice their choice of language because this is important in terms of positioning students. We also highlight Cindy's agency as she chose to take up her friend's suggestion to "fake it" rather than give up. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1349667 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1349667 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1177/01614681221104106 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 186 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Student Participation Type: general – SubjectFull: Bilingual Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Hispanic American Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Mathematics Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Computer Science Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Middle School Students Type: general – SubjectFull: After School Programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological Patterns Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Usage Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: 'Fake It Until You Make It': Participation and Positioning of a Bilingual Latina Student in Mathematics and Computing Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Celedón-Pattichis, Sylvia – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kussainova, Gulnara – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: LópezLeiva, Carlos A. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pattichis, Marios S. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Type: published Y: 2022 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0161-4681 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1467-9620 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 124 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Teachers College Record Type: main |
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