“He was poking holes …” A case study on figuring out metadiscursive rules through primary sources

Abstract An important aspect of participation in a new academic discourse pertains to the metadiscursive rules which govern that discourse. Researchers have documented the viability of using primary sources in undergraduate mathematics education for scaffolding students’ recognition of those rules. Our research explores the related question of whether the use of primary sources can support students’ learning of metadiscursive rules in a way that goes beyond mere recognition. We present a case study of one student’s “figuring out” of metadiscursive rules in a university Analysis course as a result of her experience with a Primary Source Project, illustrate evidence for three dimensions of “figuring out” (adoption, acceptance, awareness) that emerged from that case study, and discuss the implications of our findings for classroom instruction and future research.