Equity, Social Justice, and Ethics

Recent Australasian research on equitable, socially just, and ethical mathematics teaching and learning is reviewed and critiqued in this chapter. The literature surveyed includes studies in which researchers reported on the degree of equity for Australasian communities previously identified as disadvantaged in mathematics: girls and women; low socio-economic students; Indigenous, Māori, and Pasifika students; and rural and remote students. Studies of teaching practices and whole-school approaches to improve the outcomes of students in schools in disadvantaged communities are discussed, as are pre-service teacher education programs for teaching and working within these communities. In the reviewed work, researchers drew on various theoretical frameworks for equity, social justice, and ethical practice. In several studies, cultural responsiveness for mathematics learning was explored and the researchers drew attention to the importance of ensuring participation of disadvantaged and marginalised communities. While many of the studies reviewed were small scale, there was also evidence of longitudinal and multiple case study research. Sustained further research is needed to address diversity for social justice in mathematics education within disadvantaged communities, including non-binary gender, cultural diverse, and rural communities.