Context matters: Results of a homogeneous group of students dealing with sociopolitical issues in the mathematics classroom

Overview & Synopsis

This article examines what positions middle-class students in a very homogenous context take up when engaging in sociopolitical topics in the mathematics classroom. The analysis draws on video records and student works from a 9th-grade classroom in the South of Austria. Students engaged in an activity dealing with the unequal wealth distribution in the country. Results indicate that students interpreted justice very differently and often viewed their situation as normality. Their opinions were much more complex and diverse than highlighted in other research on critical mathematics education so far. This poses several challenges for the teacher as guiding the discussion gets a balancing act, and many addressed points by the students might need further consideration. However, results also demonstrate that it is important to create spaces that allow students to deal with sociopolitical topics from different perspectives to let them identify a variety of opinions and reflect on their situation.