Achieving Equity in the Educational Setting: Applying Mutual Value Theory

• In Event: Reimagining Equitable Education Through Cross-Cultural Conversation: Toward an Equitable New Normal in the Era of Post-Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed persistent inequalities in education systems. Various approaches have been employed to address these inequities: 1) restructuring political power, 2) redistributing socioeconomic benefits, 3) reassigning educational resources, 4) rezoning school districts to end segregation, and 5) repairing opportunities for work and education, e.g., affirmative action (Moses, Yun, & Marin, 2009).
Although these efforts have had some success in achieving equality, they are limited in at least two ways. First, they only focus on external factors (e.g., political power, economic benefits, job opportunities, social status, or educational resources). Second, they only focus on outcomes. Third, they often divide people into two dichotomous categories: equity-providers vs. equity-receivers, creating another “us versus them” dichotomy that potentially causes more inequity.
Drawing on the philosophy of positive psychology, this paper argues that inequality should be reconceptualized as intrinsically and necessarily relational and processual. As Brian Massumi (2013) stated, “a making is always bigger than the made” (xi).
Using mutual value theory (Boyanton, 2014) as a theoretical framework, we launched a program to address inequality by creating a mutual and equal relationship among all parties. Based on this theory, “value” is an essential factor behind all human drives. To achieve equal relationships and equity, four types of values need to be created: 1) self-value, all participants value themselves, 2) perceived self-value, all participants believe they are being valued by others, 3) other value, all participants value others, and 4) cause-value, all participants value the shared cause of action e.g., equity issue (Boyanton, 2014).
This program consisted of a forum series themed “Love, Unity, Peace & Hope: For the Betterment of the Global Village, Non-governmental Public Forum Series on International Collaboration in an Era of Pandemic.” We invited a total of 43 speakers from both the U.S. and China, organized 18 talks, invited over 30 performers and artists, and recruited over 50 youth volunteers from 8 countries.
By engaging participants in a meaningful on-going effort to address inequality in a mutual, equitable, and respectful environment, this program approached the equity issue in at least four aspects:
1) Unity: Instead of dividing people into two dichotomous groups of equity-providers vs. equity-receivers, or “us versus them,” this program emphasized the “oneness” and “unity” of all parties.
2) Common goal: Instead of focusing on achieving equity only for the marginalized group, this program encouraged all participants to create a better world for all;
3) Agency: Instead of seeing the disadvantaged group as “victims,” it empowered them as social agents and active participants who had great potential and could make great contributions to the betterment our world.
4) Process: This conceptualization of mutual relationships as inherently agentic processes allows us to locate agency in the “entanglements” in which all members participate (Barad, 2007).
In conclusion, this program successfully united people of different backgrounds to work together to achieve a common goal. It provided an alternative solution to address the educational equity issue.

Author

• Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association