Learning mathematics in a borderline situation: The futures ahead and the intentions of students in a Brazilian favela
Keywords:
Mathematics teaching and learning, futures ahead, learning intentions, borderline situation, Brazilian favelaAbstract
In a big city, students from different neighborhoods may experience life opportunities in very different ways. This may influence their attitudes towards the school system and learning as a whole, including the learning of mathematics. During this study, we inter-viewed a group of six students from a favela in a big city of the state
of São Paulo, Brazil. We invited them to reflect on their future, and to think whether they had motivations for learning, especially in relation to school mathematics. We also asked them to consider possible activities outside the school, such as posible future jobs or continuing education. There are four topics that summarize these students’ experiences: discrimination, escape, obscurity of mathematics, and uncertainty regarding the future. These topics are interpreted by means of a theoretical frame in order to discuss the relations between these students’ life conditions and their experiences and education opportunities. The students’ learning intentions are related to their futures ahead, it is, to the way they perceive their possibilities in the future, which is evident for them because of their social environment. Students which individuals clearly perceive their social environment and where, due to their position in such an environment, they are forced to deal with the multiple crossroads and dilemmas brought and proved by cultural and economic diversity.
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