Supporting data for : 'I call it math therapy': student narratives of growth, belonging, and confidence in mathematical thinking workshops

This repository contains pseudonymised focus group discussion transcripts underpinning the manuscript “‘I call it math therapy’: student narratives of growth, belonging, and confidence in mathematical thinking workshops.” The study was conducted in the context of first-year university mathematics at a South African research-intensive university. The data consist of transcripts from multiple semi-structured focus groups with first-year science students who voluntarily attended Mathematical Thinking Workshops (MTWs) – supplementary sessions designed to support the transition into university mathematics through collaborative, discussion-based, higher-order problem-solving. In these discussions, students reflect on their experiences of the workshops, including shifts in mathematical confidence, feelings of belonging, perceptions of “math therapy”, identity as emerging mathematicians, and tensions with mainstream lectures and tutorials. All transcripts were produced from audio recordings and lightly edited for clarity (e.g., removal of filler words that do not affect meaning). Pseudonyms are used for all student participants, and direct identifiers (names, student numbers, contact details, and highly specific biographical information) have been removed or generalised to protect confidentiality.