PROSPECTIVE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS’ DEVELOPING UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND MATHEMATICS

Date

2025-9-1

Author

Adıgüzel, Çağla

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The purpose of this study was to investigate prospective mathematics teachers’ understanding of social justice and mathematics within a mathematical modeling course conducted in the Spring Semester, 2022-2023. Using a case study design, the study explored participants’ meaning-making in an authentic classroom setting. Data were collected through an observation protocol, lesson video recordings, participants’ written work (individual reflection papers and final project reports), and both in-class and focus group interviews conducted at multiple stages of the course. Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis, combining inductive open coding with predefined codes derived from the conceptual framework. The analysis yielded three overarching themes: understanding of social justice, understanding of the role of mathematics, and a vision of future teaching. Understanding of social justice was grouped under two main categories: (i) Prospective teachers’ evolving awareness of social justice issues in the context of mathematics education through modeling, and (ii) Prospective teachers’ evolving agency to act on social justice issues. Understanding of the role of mathematics was (i) Prospective teachers’ evolving understanding of mathematics as a tool for critical understanding of social justice issues and (ii) Prospective teachers’ evolving understanding of mathematics as a tool for agency and transformation. Vision of future teaching was illustrated by (i) Prospective teachers’ intentions to foster social justice in their future teaching of mathematics and (ii) Prospective teachers’ pedagogical considerations in designing and implementing mathematics lessons centered on social justice. Findings showed that participants’ understanding of social justice and the role of mathematics deepened over time, alongside a growing understanding of how to teach mathematics for social justice.

Subject Keywords

Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice, Social Justice Mathematics Education, Socio-critical Mathematical Modeling, Democratic Mathematics Education, Critical Mathematics Education

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/116078

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis