Teachers’ Perception of Social Justice in Mathematics Classrooms

Authors

  • Ram Krishna Panthi Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal, Tribhuvan University
  • Bal Chandra Luitel Kathmandu University School of Education
  • Shashidhar Belbase University College, Zayed University

https://doi.org/10.17583/redimat.2018.2707

Downloads

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore mathematics teachers’ perception of social justice in mathematics classrooms. We applied interpretive qualitative method for data collection, analysis, and interpretation through iterative process. We administered in-depth semi-structured interviews to capture the perceptions of three mathematics teachers about social justice in mathematics classroom at three public secondary schools in Kathmandu. We carried out multiple layers of thematic analysis and interpretation of the narratives from the interview data. Altogether five themes on perception of social justice emerged from the analysis of the data. These themes were associated with - equality, equity, fairness, social process, and caring students. Implications of the study have been discussed at the end. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ram Krishna Panthi, Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal, Tribhuvan University

Teaching Assistant, Department of Mathematics Education

Bal Chandra Luitel, Kathmandu University School of Education

Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics Education

Shashidhar Belbase, University College, Zayed University

Assistant Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies

References

Adams, P. (2015). In defence of care: Gilligan's relevance for primary education pedagogy. Culture and Science, 23, 1-20.

Google Scholar Crossref

Atweh, B., Graven, M., & Secada, W. (2011). Mapping equity and quality in mathematics education. Australia: Springer.

Google Scholar Crossref

Belbase, S. (2006). My journey of learning and teaching mathematics from traditionalism to constructivism: A portrayal of pedagogic metamorphosis. (M. Phil. dissertation). Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal.

Google Scholar Crossref

Bell, L. A. (2007). Theoretical foundations for social justice education. In M. Adams, L. A. Bell, & P. Griffin (Eds.), Teaching for social justice handbook (pp. 1-14). New York: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don't: Researcher's position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 15, 219–234. doi: 10.1177/1468794112468475.

Google Scholar Crossref

Berne, R., & Stiefel, L. (1984). The measurement of equity in school finance: Conceptual, methodological, and empirical dimensions. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Boaler, J. (1993). The role of contexts in the mathematics classroom: Do they make mathematics more “real”? For the learning of mathematics, 13(2), 12-17.

Google Scholar Crossref

Bold, C. (2012). Using narrative in research. London: Sage.

Google Scholar Crossref

Bolyan, M., & Woolsey, I. (2016). Teacher education for social justice: Mapping identity spaces. Teaching and Teacher Education, 46 (1), 62-71.

Google Scholar Crossref

Bond, G., & Chernoff, E. J. (2015). Mathematics and social justice: A symbiotic pedagogy. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education, 8(1), 24–30.

Google Scholar Crossref

Christensen, O. R., Stentoft, D., & Valero, P. (). Power distribution in the network of mathematics education practices. In E. de Freitas & K. Nolan (Eds.), Opening the research text: Critical insights and in(ter)ventions into mathematics education (pp. 131-146). New York, NY: Springer.

Google Scholar Crossref

Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F.M. (Eds.). (1995). Teacher’s professional knowledge landscapes. New York: Teachers College Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F.M. (2000) Narrative Inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Google Scholar Crossref

Cochran-Smith, M. (2009). Towards a theory of teacher education for social justice part 2. In Hargreaves, A., Lieberman, M. Fullans, D. Hopkins (Eds). Springer international handbooks of education, second handbook of international education, 23, 445- 464.

Google Scholar Crossref

Colquitt, R. L. (2014). Social justice in mathematics education. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee.

Google Scholar Crossref

Cotton, T. (2013). Towards a mathematics for human rights and social justice. In P. Coles (Eds.), Teaching secondary mathematics as if the planet matters (p. 87-97). Abingdon: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

Cotton, T., & Hardy, T. (2004). Problematizing culture and discourse for mathematics education research. In P. Valero & R. Zevenbergen (Eds.), Researching the socio-political dimensions of mathematics education: Issues of power in theory and methodology (pp. 85–103). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group.

Google Scholar Crossref

Curriculum Development Center (CDC). (2007). National curriculum framework for school education in Nepal. Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, Nepal: CDC

Google Scholar Crossref

Darling-Hammond, L. (1995). Inequality and access to knowledge. In J.A. Banks & C.A. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Multicultural Education(pp.465-483). New York, NY: Macmillian Publication.

Google Scholar Crossref

Dover, A. G. (2013). Teaching for social justice: From conceptual frameworks to classroom practices, Multicultural perspectives, 15(1), 3-11, doi: 10.1080/15210960.2013.75428.

Google Scholar Crossref

Esmonde, I. (2009). Ideas and identities: Supporting equity in cooperative mathematics learning. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 1008–1043.

Google Scholar Crossref

Esmonde, I., & Caswell, B. (2010). Teaching mathematics for social justice in multicultural, multilingual elementary classrooms. Canadian Journal for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 10(3), 244-254.

Google Scholar Crossref

Frankenstein, M. (2013). Reading the world with math: Goals for a critical mathematical literacy curriculum. In E. Gutstein& B. Peterson (Eds.), Rethinking mathematics teaching social justice by the numbers (2nd ed., pp. 30-39). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Google Scholar Crossref

Frankstein, M. (2006). Reading the world with mathematics: Goals for a critical mathematical literacy curriculum. In E. Gutstein & P. Peterson (Eds.). Rethinking mathematics: Teaching social justice. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Rethinking School Ltd.

Google Scholar Crossref

Fraser, N. (1997). Justice interruptus: Critical reflections on the “postsocialist” condition. New York: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of oppressed (M.B. Ramos, Trans.). New York: Seabury Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Freire, P. (2002). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum.

Google Scholar Crossref

Gates, P., & Jorgensen, R. (2009). Foregrounding social justice in mathematics teacher education. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 12, 161-170. DOI 10.1007/s10857-009-9105-4.

Google Scholar Crossref

Gilligan, C., & Attanucci, J. (1988). Two moral orientations: Gender difference and similarities. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 82, 223 - 237.

Google Scholar Crossref

Giroux, H. A. (2005). Kids for sale: Corporate culture and the challenges of public schooling. In H. S. Shapiro & D. E. Purpel (Eds.), Critical social issues in American education: Democracy and meaning in a globalizing world (3rd ed.) (pp. 143-162). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Google Scholar Crossref

Government of Nepal Ministry of Education (GONMOE). (2015). Report on National Assessment of Student Achievement (NASA) 2013. Bhaktapur, Nepal: The Author.

Google Scholar Crossref

Gutiérrez, R. (1999). Advancing urban Latina/o youth in mathematics: Lesson from an effective high school mathematics department. The Urban Review, 31(3), 263- 281.

Google Scholar Crossref

Gutierrez, R. (2007). (Re)defining equity: The importance of a critical perspective. In N. S. Nasir & P. Cobb (Eds.), Improving access to mathematics: Diversity and equity in the classroom (pp. 37-50). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Gutstein, E. (2005). Teaching and learning mathematics for social justice in an urban, Latino school. In E. Brown & K. Saltman (Eds.). The critical middle school reader. New York, NY: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

Hall, I. (2014). The promise and perils of interpretivism in Australian international relations. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 73(3), 307–316, doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12084.

Google Scholar Crossref

Hamdan, A. K. (2009). Reflexivity of discomfort in insider-outsider educational research. Journal of Education, 44, 377–404.

Google Scholar Crossref

Hart, L. E. (2003). Some directions for research on equity and justice in mathematics education. In L. Burton (Ed.), Which way social justice in mathematics education? (pp. 27-50). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

Google Scholar Crossref

Hay, C. (2011). Interpreting interpretivism interpreting interpretations: The new hermeneutics of public administration. Public Administration 89(1), 167–182.

Google Scholar Crossref

Hempel-Jorgensen, A. (2015) Learner agency and social justice: what can creative pedagogy contribute to socially just pedagogies? Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 23(4), 531-554, DOI: 10.1080/14681366.2015.1082497

Google Scholar Crossref

Hodge, L. L. (2006). An orientation on the mathematics classroom that emphasizes power and identity: Reflecting on equity research. The Urban Review, 38(5), 373-385.

Google Scholar Crossref

Jurdak, M. (2009). Toward equity in quality in mathematics education. London: Springer.

Google Scholar Crossref

Kathmandu University & UNESCO Kathmandu. (2008). Developing culturally contextualized mathematics resource materials: Capturing local practices of Tamang and Gopali communities: A report. Kathmandu, Nepal: Authors.

Google Scholar Crossref

Kaur, B. (2012). Equity and social justice in teaching and teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 485-492.

Google Scholar Crossref

Keddie, A. (2011). Educating for diversity and social justice. New York, NY: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

Khanal, J. & Park, S. H. (2016). Corporal punishment in private Schools: The case of Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(26), 53-61.

Google Scholar Crossref

Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2009). Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing. Los Angeles: Sage.

Google Scholar Crossref

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Google Scholar Crossref

Luitel, B. C., & Taylor, P. C. (2006). Envisioning transition towards transformative mathematics education: A Nepali educator’s autoethnographic perspective. In (pp. 91-109). J. Earnest & D. Treagust (Eds.), Education reform in societies in transition: International perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Google Scholar Crossref

Luitel, B. C., & Taylor, P. C. (2009). Defrosting and re-frosting the ideology of pure mathematics: An infusion of Eastern-Western perspectives on conceptualizing a socially just mathematics education. In P. Ernest, B. Greer, & B. Sriraman (Eds.), Critical issues in mathematics education (pp. 125 – 152). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

Google Scholar Crossref

Luitel, B.C. (2013). Mathematics as an im/pure knowledge system: Symbiosis (w)holism and synergy in mathematics education. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10(6), doi: 10.1007/s10763-012-9366.

Google Scholar Crossref

Maguire, M., & Pratt-Adams, S. (2009). Urban education, equality, and inequity. In D. Hill & L. H. Robertson (Eds.), Equality in primary school: Promoting good practices across the curriculum (pp. 54-65). London: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Google Scholar Crossref

Mathema, K. B., & Bista, M. B. (2006). Study on student performance in SLC: Main report. Kathmandu, Nepal: Ministry of Education and Sports & Education Sector Advisory Team.

Google Scholar Crossref

Ministry of Education and Education International. (2014). Equity, excellence and inclusiveness in education policy lesson from around the world, OECD, New Zealand.

Google Scholar Crossref

Moscardini, L. (2014). Developing equitable elementary mathematics classroom through teacher learning about children's mathematical thinking: Cognitively guided instruction as an inclusive pedagogy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 43, 69-79.

Google Scholar Crossref

Mukhopadhyay, S., Powell, A. B., & Frankenstein, M. (2009). An ethnomathematical perspective on culturally responsive mathematics education. In B. Greer, S. Mukhopadhyay, A. B. Powell, & S. Nelson-Barber (Eds.), Culturally responsive mathematics education (pp. 65-84). New York, NY: Routledge.

Google Scholar Crossref

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.

Google Scholar Crossref

NCTM. (2014). Access and equity in mathematics education: A position statement of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.

Google Scholar Crossref

North, C. (2008). What's all this talk about social justice? Mapping the terrain of education latest catch phrase. Teacher's college records, 110(6), 1182-1206.

Google Scholar Crossref

O’Brien, K. M. (2001). The legacy of parsons: Career counsellors and vocational psychologists as agents of social change. The career development quarterly, 50, 66-76.

Google Scholar Crossref

O’Kane, C. (2002). Marginalized children as social actors for social justice in South Asia. British Journal of Social Work, 32, 697-710.

Google Scholar Crossref

OECD. (2012). Equity and quality in education: Supporting disadvantaged students and schools. OECD Publishing.http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264130852-en.

Google Scholar Crossref

Onchwari, J. (2010). Early childhood inservice and preservice teachers’ perceived levels of preparedness to handle stress in their students. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 391–400. DOI:10.1007/s10643-009-0361-9.

Google Scholar Crossref

Plunkett, D. (2013). Dworkin's interpretivism and the pragmatics of legal disputes. Legal Theory, 19, 242–281.

Google Scholar Crossref

Powell, A., & Brantlinger, A. (2008). A pluralistic view of critical mathematics. In J. F. Matos, P. Valero, & K. Yasukawa (Eds.), Proceedings of the fifth international mathematics education and society conference (pp. 424-433). Lisbon, PT: Centro de Investigafaoem Educaqao, Universidade de Lisboa-Department of Education, Learning, and Philosophy, Aalborg University.

Google Scholar Crossref

Pravat, P.S. (2011). Shifting conceptions of social (in)justice in Nepal. Nepal Journal of Social Science and Public Policy, 1(1), 49-64

Google Scholar Crossref

Ratts, M. J., Anthony, L., & Santos, K. N. (2010). The dimensions of social justice model: Transforming traditional group work into a socially just framework. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 160-168. DOI 10.1080/01933921003705974.

Google Scholar Crossref

Reissman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Google Scholar Crossref

Ronkainen, N. J., Watkins, I., & Ryba, T. V. (2016). What can gender tell us about the pre-retirement experiences of elite distance runners in Finland? A thematic narrative analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 22(1), 37-45.

Google Scholar Crossref

Rousseau, C., & Tate, W. F. (2003). no time like the present: Reflecting equity in school mathematics. Theory into Practice, 42(5), 210-216.

Google Scholar Crossref

Singh, M. (2011). The place of social justice in higher education and social change discourses. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 41(4), 481-494. doi: 10.1080/03057925.2011.581515.

Google Scholar Crossref

Tanko, M. G. (2012). Teaching practical numeracy through social justice pedagogy: Case study of Abu Dhabi women’s college. Unpublished PhD thesis, Curtin University, Perth Australia.

Google Scholar Crossref

Taylor, P. C., & Luitel, B. C. (2005). Overcoming culturally dislocated curricula in a transitional society: An autoethnographic journey towards pragmatic wisdom. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), SIG: Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices Montreal.

Google Scholar Crossref

Van Oers, B. (2002). Educational forms of initiation in mathematical culture. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 46, 59-85.

Google Scholar Crossref

Velasquez, A., West, R., Graham, C., & Osguthorpe, R. (2013). Developing caring relationships in schools: A review of the research on caring and nurturing pedagogies. Review of Education, 1, 162-190. doi:10.1002/rev3.3014.

Google Scholar Crossref

Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, E., & McLeman, L. (2015). Mathematics teacher educators focusing on equity: Potential challenges and resolutions. Teacher education quarterly, 42(4), 83-100.

Google Scholar Crossref

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Walther, J., Sochacka, N.W.M., & Kellam, N. N. (2013). Quality in interpretive engineering education research. Journal of Engineering Education, 102(4), 626-659.

Google Scholar Crossref

Wright, P. (2012). Performing ‘hope’: Authentic story, change, and transformation in teacher education. In B. Down & J. Smyth (Eds.), Critical voices in teacher education: Teaching for social justice in conservative times (pp. 211-222). New York, NY: Springer.

Google Scholar Crossref

Young, I. M. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Google Scholar Crossref

Downloads

Published

2018-02-24

Almetric

Dimensions

Issue

Section

Articles