PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
A gendered comparison of abstract algebra instructors’ inquiry-oriented instruction
Page: 533
Inquiry-Oriented Instruction (IOI) holds promise for providing equitable learning opportunities for men and women. We consider two abstract algebra instructors whose women exhibited different learning outcomes. We explore how this disparity in the women’s achievement might be related to differences in these instructors’ implementation of IOI, specifically regarding how they elicited and evaluated student contributions. We used Reinholz and Shah’s (2018) EQUIP observation tool to investigate differences between students’ participation opportunities in each class. We found a significant difference in the instructors’ number of interactions with men and women during class discussion. We also found significant differences in the instructors’ methods for soliciting and responding to student contributions in class discussion. A discussion of these differences in instructional practices, as well as implications for future work, is provided.