Commentary on Theories of Mathematics Education

Feminist Pedagogy and Mathematics
Judith E. Jacobs
Introduction
There is considerable research on the possible causes for females’ lower achievement
and participation in mathematical studies and mathematics-related careers.
Among the causes posited by these studies are: biological factors, “math anxiety”,
seeing mathematics as a male domain, the perceived usefulness of mathematics
in one’s future, teachers’ differential treatment of female and male students,
the perception of self as a learner of mathematics (including both confidence
levels and aspects of causal attribution theory), and possession of autonomous
learning behaviors (Fennema and Leder 1990; Kimball 1989; Leder 1990;
Meyer and Fennema 1992). Even the earliest studies indicate that these differences
were related to females’ choice not to elect mathematical study (Fennema 1977).
These studies also have resulted in suggested interventions (Becker and Jacobs
1983). A common thread in these studies is the basic philosophical assumption upon
which the studies were designed. This article challenges that assumption and offers
an alternate paradigm.
The previous work on gender differences in mathematics proceeded from the assumption
that if we could identify those individuals who succeeded in mathematics
and compared them with those who were not successful in mathematics, we could
isolate factors that “cause” this difference. It was then assumed that if we could
change the “unsuccessful” so that they would have the characteristics of the “successful”,
they too would succeed in mathematics. Given that, in general, it is males
(particularly white males) who are successful in mathematics and females who are
not, the solution to the gender problem in mathematics becomes making females
more like males. Such an assumption denies any substantive difference in the ways
females and males are. It assumes that gender is not a salient variable in determining
behavior and is easily modifiable. It also declares that males are the norm; that
how they do things is the only way of doing things and that the road to success is to
behave as males behave.
Recent work (Belenky et al. 1986; Gilligan 1982; Gilligan et al. 1990; Jordan et
al. 1991) provide a theoretical, research-based foundation for a different philosophical
starting point. Damarin (1990a, 1990b) wrote of the need for this perspective in
mathematics education. She describes the feminist perspective that sees the content
J.E. Jacobs ()
School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
e-mail: jujacobs@umich.edu
B. Sriraman, L. English (eds.), Theories of Mathematics Education,
Advances in Mathematics Education,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-00742-2_41, © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010
435