Social Justice Mathematics for Middle School Girls of Color

• In Event: Confronting the Mathematics Struggle for Girls of Color in Public Schools: Transformative Experiences

Abstract

This paper investigates how Social Justice Mathematics instruction in a Title I public middle school influences how girls of color make sense of mathematics and the social issues in their community. Social Justice Mathematics (SJM) has been defined with two main goals – to increase students’ proficiency in traditional or dominant mathematics and to increase their sociopolitical consciousness (Author, 2015, 2017; Bartell, 2013; Gutiérrez, 2002; Gutstein, 2006).

Studies have found that students of historically marginalized backgrounds feel empowered when engaging with SJM, as SJM intends (Gutstein 2006; Yang, 2009). However, studies have also found students of historically marginalized backgrounds to resist SJM (Brantlinger, 2007, 2014; Frankenstein, 1990). This paper uses “figured worlds” defined as “socially and culturally constructed realms of interpretation” (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998, p. 52) as a framework to explore girls’ of color reactions to and conceptualizations of SJM, attitudes towards mathematics, and feelings about their community.

Data sources include field note data of classroom observations, interview transcripts from the seven focus students (each interviewed twice one-on-one), interview transcripts from the classroom teacher (interviewed one-on-one three times), and copies of focus students’ work from SJM lessons. The seven study participants include two African American, one Filipino American, and four Latina sixth grade students. Interview transcripts, observation field notes, student work, and analytic memos were coded using a grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) with the assistance of Atlas.ti.

Data analysis illuminated two figured worlds created by participants. The Mathematics Figured World refers to how participants conceptualized mathematics and their attitudes toward their relationship with mathematics. Interview data indicate that study participants believed that “being smart at math” involves effort and that “everyone is smart at math.” Interview data from their teacher indicates her efforts to foster this type of classroom environment. Second, students considered SJM activities “fun” and “cool” and were more engaged in class when involved in an SJM lesson. Field note data indicate increased behavioral engagement through participation in discussions, aligning with definitions of behavioral engagement (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004).

The second, Community Figured World, refers to how students made sense of the social issues they explored in the SJM activities. When discussing wealthy and under-resourced communities that the teacher highlighted through the SJM activities she designed, students resisted negative stereotypes about their own communities. They described their neighborhoods as “quiet and peaceful.” If they mentioned a troublesome incident (e.g. a shooting near their home) they used phrases like “we have good days and bad days.” Second, students felt that it was important for them to learn about relevant social issues of their own neighborhoods through mathematics so that they could solicit help from others to improve their community.

The present study contributes to the literature on Social Justice Mathematics with perspectives of girls of color attending under-resourced public schools. This study helps the field understand how SJM may be a promising means of supporting positive attitudes toward mathematics and improving mathematics achievement for girls of color attending under-resourced public schools.

Author

• Kari Kokka, University of Pittsburgh