Pedagogic strategies: Using empowerment theory to confront issues of language and race within mathematics education

Abstract

Within the classroom milieu a teacher wields considerable power; however, teaching may become overwhelming when the teacher is faced with somewhat diverse learners. Dealing with such in the classroom is a challenging task. This qualitative study aims to explore how teachers confront issues of language and race within mathematics education. It was carried out at one university in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. The participants are mathematics teachers who enrolled as postgraduate mathematics education students at the university. The study was framed using Perkins and Zimmerman’s notion of empowerment theory. Qualitative data were gathered during the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 academic years, from a final sample of 22 postgraduate mathematics education students, and through a questionnaire administered to teachers and semi-structured interview schedules. The corollary findings provide a glimpse of how issues of language and race are confronted within mathematics education in South Africa, and they are important in terms of advancing curriculum and teacher development. Internationally and nationally, the findings have particular resonance and relevance when considering the powerful role that language and race play in mathematics education.