RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Community College Students’ Definitions of and Experiences With Equity in College Algebra Classrooms
Page: 1181
In mathematics classrooms, equity has been researched, defined, and reported by those who have the ability and authority (professional organizations, instructors, state and federal educational agencies, local administrators, universities, and teaching faculty). However, the students who are susceptible to these definitions have not been asked for their perspectives of what equity would look like or what would remove the inequities they experience in their mathematics classes. Our goal is to center community college students’ experiences with and definitions of equity as they reflect on their mathematics’ learning journey, significant moments that shaped their engagement in mathematics, how they thought about equity, and whether and how they had experienced equity or inequities specifically in College Algebra. We found that participants’ understandings and definitions of equity varied significantly, as did their experiences in mathematics classes. Additionally, we found that participants situated their understanding of equity in features of their identities.