This paper examines the literature on identity within mathematics education published in journals over the past two decades. It analyses the theoretical underpinnings, research methods and definitions of identity, providing a critique rather than a summary of the literature. A total of 188 articles from 85 different journals are reviewed in the sample. This review finds support for common complaints of this research area as lacking in definitions of the concept of identity and suggests that the writing in this topic is at times theoretically incompatible. Furthermore, the work in this field may be coming from two distinct paradigms. Identity may be seen as an action and fit within a sociological frame or it may be seen as an acquisition, fitting within a psychological framing. Defining identity as something we do, as an action, and in particular as performative is promoted in this paper. Finally, suggestions are made for future directions in identity research.CIAE Project from the Associative Research Program of La Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologic

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Images of mathematics and mathematicians are often negative and stereotyped. These portrayals may work to construct our impressions of mathematics and influence students' identity with and future participation in the subject. This study examined young adult fiction as a context in which school mathematics is portrayed and constructed. I used positioning theory and the notion of story lines to analyze a sample of 59 books. Portrayals of school mathematics within this sample involved multiple story lines, including school mathematics as being obligatory but not useful and mathematics classes as tense, terrible, difficult, and different but perhaps as places in which to find love. Portrayals of mathematics teachers were extremely stereotyped, and some girls were just as likely as boys to be positioned as able mathematics learners.

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The school and the home are both influential contexts in which a child learns mathematics, and therefore schools and families should work collaboratively to achieve shared goals for children's mathematics learning. In culturally and linguistically diverse areas, schools have richness to draw on but may face additional challenges in engaging with parents from varying backgrounds. To understand these challenges, this study undertook a culturally focussed investigation of mathematics home-school partnerships within one diverse school in a low socioeconomic area of Auckland, New Zealand. Teachers responded to a questionnaire, and focus group interviews were held with diverse groups of parents. Findings indicated tensions regarding differing mathematics pedagogies used at school and by parents and different desires around formal communication about mathematics learning. The diversity of the school generated further challenges because different parent groups dealt with the tensions in different ways. Knowing more about these parental approaches may help diverse schools to design programmes and craft communication that include more of their community in mathematics teaching and learning.