The Semiotics of Stereotypes: Using Memes to unpack Race and Power in Mathematics

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Meaning-making as Social Action across Media, Disciplines, and Identities

Abstract

Social media has become a huge part of teenage life, and these platforms are shaping how young people see the world, even how they view mathematics and the people who excel at it. Historically, media has portrayed mathematics and mathematicians in a negative light. It's crucial in education to examine these portrayals, as students are actively forming their understanding of what a mathematician is, and who can pursue that path. In our study, we used a mixed-methods, design-based research approach. This allowed us to systematically test stereotypical math memes to understand how users perceive them. Results showed that when a meme didn't explicitly call out stereotypical symbolism, users simply ignored the negative connotation

Authors

• Gregory Benoit, Boston University

• Gregory Beaudine, University of Iowa

• K. Elizabeth Hammonds, Auburn University

• Gabor Salopek, Math Meme Team