Funded Research

Investigating Culturally Responsive Mathematics Education

Summary (PDF 25 KB)

Full Report (PDF 728 KB)
Cynthia Nicol
Jo-ann Archibald
Jeff Baker
University of British Columbia

Background

The research is aimed at addressing the under-representation of Indigenous people in math and science careers, declining rates of participation in school math and science, and the fact that despite decades of intervention-based reform “Aboriginal children’s scores are getting worse over time.” This report focuses on working with community members and teachers in one rural community in the Pacific Northwest that has a high proportion of Aboriginal students.

Description

This report is part of a larger project exploring the development of culturally responsive education in both urban and rural Aboriginal communities.

This report explores how culturally responsive mathematics education may provide a framework for transforming mathematics education for Aboriginal teachers. In considering culturally responsive pedagogy we draw upon literature that provides a context for developing a model of education for diverse groups that incorporates connections to culture and community, respects and is responsive to Indigenous knowledge systems and epistemologies, and is rooted in relationships and places.

This report will focus on one of our research sites that we call Indigenous Peoples of the Lands. As the project is still underway, this report will also focus on the following overarching question:

How do IPL teachers’ involvement in a participatory action research project influence their understanding about culturally responsive pedagogy in the context of mathematics education?

To aid in the investigation of this question, the following research questions were explored:

  1. What are IPL teachers’ initial perceptions and experiences of culturally responsive mathematics education?
  2. As IPL teachers participate in the project how do they practice culturally responsive education and what does it mean to them?
  3. How can participatory action research and Indigenous storywork methodology be potential tools for professional development in the context of mathematics education?

 

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