In this editorial, I seek to share insights with other mathematics education researchers, especially those early in their journeys, into the long-standing assumptions about what it means to advance the field and how we should think about issues of rigor.
The purpose of this editorial is to consider pathways for doing that work by building on research this journal has previously published. The goal is to offer a vision for creating research that contributes to a gentler, more just, and more curious world, through an argument grounded in a small set of mentor texts.
In democratic societies, education is said to operate as a meritocratic equalizer, granting upward social mobility to those willing to work hard and develop their talents. In the 21st century, however, such mobility has decreased across the globe, particularly in countries with greater economic inequality. As a result, education’s promise to enable a better life has become ever more tenuous.
In a task-based interview, we examined how a high school student with high spatial visualization ability, Andrea, generated three-dimensional objects by rotating two-dimensional shapes about an axis using paper and pencil and hands-on manipulatives. Initially, Andrea interpreted rotation as planar motion, without extending into three-dimensional space. With the use of hands-on manipulatives, she gradually shifted toward a more integrated understanding of spatial rotation, relying on metaphorical associations and visual cues to support her recognition of dimensional transitions. Afterward, she coordinated spatial elements (e.g., the line of rotation and radius) more precisely, constructing increasingly coherent representations of solids of revolution. Our study offers insights that inform future research and instructional design focused on supporting students’ understanding of dimensional transformations.
Women, underrepresented minorities, and low-income students remain underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Among the required introductory courses, the calculus sequence is an obstacle linked to students’ decisions to leave their chosen discipline. Here, we analyzed data on students’ grades across the calculus sequence at a Minority-Serving Institution and examined the following: (a) group-level disparities in performance and the evolution of these disparities over the course sequence, (b) whether and how disparities in performance relate to differences in persistence rates between groups, and (c) whether course grades are linked to underrepresented students’ decisions to continue with subsequent coursework. Findings suggest that the barriers in pursuing STEM majors differ among underrepresented groups and have implications for efforts aimed at diversifying the STEM pipeline.
