At the Intersections: Queer High School Students’ Experiences with the Teaching of Mathematics for Social Justice

Abstract

Mathematics education research has failed to investigate Queer students’ experiences in high school mathematics. In addition, research has also failed to include the voices of Queer high School students when they are the foci of research discussions. However, research has emphasized and incentivized the implementation of the Teaching of Mathematics for Social Justice (TMSJ) to fight social injustices Queer high school students go through (in this study referred to as TMSJGS). This dissertation stepped back to consider the TMSJGS and, through a mixed-methods approach, investigated students’ experiences and perspectives in mathematics, schools, and communities; as well as with the TMSJGS. The data analyzed in this dissertation was collected through methods such as surveys, classroom studies, and interviews. Using quantitative methodologies (descriptive statistics and non-parametric correlations) and a qualitative analytic tool (thematic analysis), this dissertation found that Queer high school students still do not feel accepted and safe in mathematical spaces. These students do not have a robust mathematical identity and mathematical disposition, but at the same time, they also do not see themselves as non-mathematical doers. Most of the participants in this study, independently of the school they were coming from, believed the TMSJGS would not be successful in the current conditions they see in their schools. They believe alternatives beyond the regular mathematics classroom could be used to disseminate this approach to teaching. However, Queer high school students believe it would be fundamental to attempt to implement the TMSJGS in schools, since the whole school community could benefit from it if it were successful. Queer high school students produced discourse related to mathematics and discussed how this had shaped their experiences with mathematics. This study also found that Queer high school students think a social/mathematical divide keeps them from developing a solid mathematical identity that intersects with their Queer identities. Students often discussed how the STEM fields, which they saw as White, CisHet, and male fields, are not welcoming to Queer identities. Students also argued that Queer identities could not be expressed in these fields, making them develop dispositions toward other disciplines instead, including those where Queer identities can exist and be celebrated (e.g., theater). This dissertation’s findings call for research to rehumanize the experiences Queer high school students have gone through in mathematics and suggest ways to approach the TMSJGS through the voices of Queer high school students. This study set up the initial phases of a design research experiment, allowing ways to create ideal prototypes that can be used to re-implement the TMSJGS.