PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Examined Inquiry-Oriented Instructional Moves with an Eye Toward Gender Equity
Page: 1035
When considering undergraduate mathematics education, gender equity is an ongoing issue and it has been suggested that inquiry-based instruction could make classes more equitable for men and women. In this study, we analyze data from 42 undergraduate instructors and courses and 681 students in the context of inquiry-oriented instruction in either abstract algebra, differential equations, or linear algebra. Specific instructional units were video recorded, watched, and coded to see how teachers distributed opportunities to participate in whole class discussion, how these opportunities were taken up by students, and what teachers did with student ideas. Mathematically substantial opportunities were not distributed equitably between men and women, which was consistent with inequitable student participation observed. Further, instructors tended to leverage women’s ideas less than men’s ideas when building on formalizing students’ mathematical contributions.