Forging a Pathway to STEM: Intersecting Identities and Experiences of Undergraduate Women in College Algebra

• In Event: 75.041 - MTCC Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: 75.041-4 - Intersectionalities of Lived Experience: Social Context as Evidence to Democratize Educational Research

Abstract

This paper addresses the underrepresentation of women in mathematics-based college majors and careers by highlighting the voices and experiences of women of diverse backgrounds in an entry level college math class. Despite equal access and strong achievement in advanced high school mathematics courses, undergraduate women, especially Black and Latina women, overwhelmingly opt out of college majors in mathematics-based sciences (majors that require advanced coursework in mathematics). Many women begin their college mathematics program in College Algebra, the first course in the sequence that leads to calculus and beyond, but fewer than half of these students successfully complete this course. Thus, for many women and other students, College Algebra serves as a barrier to pursuing a degree in STEM. My research describes the experiences of women in College Algebra courses, especially Black and Latina women, and reveals how these experiences reflect women’s beliefs about mathematics as well as how they influence their career path. Through this research women’s voices are included at the forefront of discussions to redesign mathematics courses to empower women to pursue higher level math and STEM majors.
This research is guided by a theoretical framework consisting of critical pedagogy and intersectionality. Critical pedagogy exposes the unequal hegemonic structures that promote oppression and proposes a dialogic, problem-posing pedagogy to liberate individuals and transform society (Freire, 2000). Normalized societal practices portray mathematics learning as inaccessible to women and many others in society, allocating quantitative knowledge to white males who use it to maintain dominant positions in society. The second theory, intersectionality, acknowledges that every individual has multiple identities that interrelate and intersect (Crenshaw, 1989; hooks, 1994). Together, these theories frame the issue of the underrepresentation of women as a societal, structural problem that disempowers women of all backgrounds.
My research is a mixed-methods design that includes a survey and a case study on undergraduate women enrolled in College Algebra at a public university. The descriptive case study uses multiple sources of evidence including surveys, focus groups and interviews. The initial survey was administered to approximately 200 College Algebra students to gather information about experiences and beliefs about mathematics. From the surveys, 24 women participated in seven focus groups to gather more detailed information about experiences in their College Algebra classes. From these focus groups, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 15 women. The interviews gathered background information about women’s beliefs and experiences in K-12 mathematics and how the College Algebra experience contributed to these beliefs.
The results of this study give insights into the unique mathematics experiences of women of diverse backgrounds as well as common themes between subgroups. The data and findings are valuable to recreate college mathematics classes where women of all backgrounds feel that they have the right to participate in STEM. Mathematics empowerment, if realized, can change the normalized view of who is entitled to learn mathematics, and can represent a powerful step toward creating a more equitable and just society.

Author

• Karen Marie Crounse, University of Massachusetts Boston