Abstract
This narrative review of current research on gender and mathematics covers the years 2020 to 2022. The number of exemplary publications within these 3 years and the diversity of topics, theoretical frameworks, subjects, and authors are indications of gender and mathematics remaining a robust and evolving area of study. Of particular interest are studies of lived experiences of students in secondary school and university programs, many of which featured continuing and troubling discriminatory incidents. In addition, the focus in several studies on the intersectionality of gender with race and other identity features is a commendable trend that should be continued. Similar to the transition from sex differences to gender differences that emerged in the 1990s and 2000s, in the papers examined, some authors have reconceptualized gender as a fluid, non-binary construct, although most gender data are reported in binary ways. Gender remains a focus of research in mathematics education because of persistent inequities in achievement, attitudes, representation, and lived experiences.
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Notes
There were also three publications in which dozens of countries’ data from large-scale assessments were used: Breda et al. (2020): Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data from 64 countries, Keller et al. (2022): PISA data from 82 countries, and Mejía-Rodríguez et al. (2021): Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data from 32 countries. These publications were not used in the calculations regarding locations of data collection.
As a reminder, we are using the authors’ terminology when discussing the findings.
References
Papers published within the period of review, have been highlighted as: * included in the review; ** of special interest, annotated
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Becker, J.R., Hall, J. Research on gender and mathematics: exploring new and future directions. ZDM Mathematics Education 56, 141–151 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01510-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01510-6