While the same stimulus questions were used with each interview, different groups
took a slightly different direction depending on participants’ responses. This informal
structure enabled participants to elaborate upon each other’s ideas and contribute freely to
the discussion, enabling a ‘shared understanding’ to be collected while also gaining
individual views from specific participants. Each group interview was audio recorded and
transcribed. The recordings were listened to numerous times and transcripts were
independently analysed by two researchers who came to consensus regarding recurring
responses, themes, patterns and inferences made by students regarding the formation of
and experiences influencing their mathematical self-belief