Identity and Learning of Mathematics for Adult First Nations Students

Abstract

The main goals of this article are twofold.  The first is to explore whether the General Education Development (GED) program has the potential to meet the academic requirements cited by the scholarship in the area of mathematics for First Nations upgrading programs. Secondly, this paper explores how the GED program influences identity in students who are several years behind mainstream mathematics programs and who are interested in securing their high school credential equivalencies. Research was carried out in one First Nations community through a study of 11 adult students working toward the writing of their GED mathematics examination. Ethnography was justified as a methodology as it allows all aspects of Indigenous Methodology requirements within its framework. The study used interviews relevant to the early life experiences of the participants and observations and artifacts throughout the GED program itself.