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

Gutiérrez, Rochelle

Date

2008

In publication

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education

Volume

39

Issue

4

Pages

357-364

Resource type

en Research/Scholarly Media

Medium

en Print

Background/context type

en Conceptual

IRE Approach/Concept

Equity

Racial Equity

Primary national context

United States

Open access/free-text available

en Yes

Peer reviewed

en Yes

ISSN

0021-8251

URL

Official Publisher's Webpage (JSTOR)

Full-text PDF Shared by Author (ResearchGate)

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.

Cited in

Solidarity-Driven Codesign: Evolving Methodologies for Expanding Engagement with Familial & Community Expertise

Resource status/form

en Published Text

Scholarship genre

en Theoretical

Item sets

Handbook Chapter 16 Citations

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