The transition from high school to university mathematics: the effect of institutional issues on students’ initiation into a new practice of studying mathematics

International audienceThe present paper reports on a study of the challenges faced by two first year mathematics undergraduate students during their transition from secondary to tertiary education, focusing on the institutional issues that shape the initiation into their studying university mathematics practice, through the lenses offered by the Communities of Practice framework. We consider transition as developing a new identity of studying mathematics, that is, of studying university mathematics, aiming to examine the trajectories of this development. Data were gathered over students’ first two semesters of attendance predominately through interviews. The results of our analysis reveal that the students’ introduction into an unknown, strongly institutionalized community of practice has a powerful effect on their initiation into the new practice of studying university mathematics