A "Gap-Gazing" Fetish in Mathematics Education? Problematizing Research on the Achievement Gap
Item
Title
A "Gap-Gazing" Fetish in Mathematics Education? Problematizing Research on the Achievement Gap
Abstract/Description
A substantial amount of research in mathematics education seeks to document disparities in achievement between middle-class White students and students who are Black, Latina/Latino, First Nations, English language learners, or working class. I outline the dangers in maintaining an achievement-gap focus. These dangers include offering little more than a static picture of inequities, supporting deficit thinking and negative narratives about students of color and working-class students, perpetuating the myth that the problem (and therefore solution) is a technical one, and promoting a narrow definition of learning and equity. I propose a new focus for research on advancement (excellence and gains) and interventions for specific groups.
Author/creator
Date
In publication
Volume
39
Issue
4
Pages
357-364
Resource type
Research/Scholarly Media
Medium
Print
Background/context type
Conceptual
IRE Approach/Concept
Primary national context
Open access/free-text available
Yes
Peer reviewed
Yes
ISSN
0021-8251
Citation
Gutiérrez, R. (2008). A “Gap-Gazing” Fetish in Mathematics Education? Problematizing Research on the Achievement Gap. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 39(4), 357–364.
Resource status/form
Published Text
Scholarship genre
Theoretical
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