Resumen de Mathematics as gendered? Views from Palestinian/Arab Israeli high schoolers
Laurie Rubel, Michal Ayalon, Juhaina Awawdeh Shahbari, Fatme Awad
In light of a gender-gap in school mathematics favoring girls among Palestinian/Arab Israelis, this study explores 147 high school students’ views of mathematics with respect to gender. We administered a “Who and Mathematics” survey used in a prior study. Findings include gender-neutrality about teacher interactions, parent expectations, and future employment. Negative relations with mathematics were attributed to boys. A broader set of narratives were attributed to girls, including items about caring or worrying about success and finding mathematics interesting. These results challenge an assumption that the social construction of mathematics as masculine is universal and present a picture of how gender shapes and is shaped by mathematics education for Palestinian/Arab Israelis.
