RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
Conceptualizations of Equity in Mathematics Education Research: 2000-2022
Page: 1191
We present work in progress that addresses the question: How do researchers in mathematics education define and operationalize the concept of equity in their work? Using a wide search of articles published in mathematics education research journals over the 2000-2022 period, we identified an initial sample of 47 empirical and theoretical articles, which was then reduced to 28 articles that operationalized or defined equity. In 17 of the 28 articles that included a definition, we found that equity definitions encompassed mainly notions of fairness, access, participation, and demanding mathematics, and we observed several references to bridging, identity, agency, and power. We summarize the scholars’ rationales, purposes, and motivations for addressing equity across the 28 articles and suggest that a more critical stance is needed in the operationalization of a definition of equity.