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1. Participatory Equity in One Undergraduate Linear Algebra Class

   Smith, J. (January 2023, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)

   Cook, S.; Katz, B.; Moore-Russo, D. (Ed.)

   Inquiry and active learning instructional methods have largely been regarded as equitable and beneficial for students. However, researchers have highlighted math classrooms as racialized and gendered spaces that can negatively impact marginalized students’ experiences in such spaces. In this study, I examine the development of one argument, and whose ideas are solicited and leveraged, in an inquiry-oriented linear algebra course with an eye toward participatory equity. I found that gender related most to the inequity of participation in argumentation and that only men participated in generalizing activity. This study adds to the growing literature addressing equity in inquiry and active learning math settings. 

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2. Participatory equity in one undergraduate linear algebra class

   Smith, J. (January 2023, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)

   Cook, S.; Katz, B.; Moore-Russo, D. (Ed.)

   Inquiry and active learning instructional methods have largely been regarded as equitable and beneficial for students. However, researchers have highlighted math classrooms as racialized and gendered spaces that can negatively impact marginalized students’ experiences in such spaces. In this study, I examine the development of one argument, and whose ideas are solicited and leveraged, in an inquiry-oriented linear algebra course with an eye toward participatory equity. I found that gender related most to the inequity of participation in argumentation and that only men participated in generalizing activity. This study adds to the growing literature addressing equity in inquiry and active learning math settings. 

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3. Supporting Student Success and Persistence in STEM With Active Learning Approaches in Emerging Scholars Classrooms

   https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.667918  

   Miller, David; Deshler, Jessica; McEldowney, Tim; Stewart, John; Fuller, Edgar; Pascal, Matt; Michaluk, Lynnette (August 2021, Frontiers in Education)

   Over the last several decades, Emerging Scholars Programs (ESPs) have incorporated active learning strategies and challenging problems into collegiate mathematics, resulting in students, underrepresented minority (URM) students in particular, earning at least half of a letter grade higher than other students in Calculus. In 2009, West Virginia University (WVU) adapted ESP models for use in Calculus I in an effort to support the success and retention of URM STEM students by embedding group and inquiry-based learning into a designated section of Calculus I. Seats in the class were reserved for URM and first-generation students. We anticipated that supporting students in courses in the calculus sequence, including Calculus I, would support URM Calculus I students in building learning communities and serve as a mechanism to provide a strong foundation for long-term retention. In this study we analyze the success of students that have progressed through our ESP Calculus courses and compare them to their non-ESP counterparts. Results show that ESP URM students succeed in the Calculus sequence at substantially higher rates than URM students in non-ESP sections of Calculus courses in the sequence (81% of URM students pass ESP Calculus I while only 50% of URM students pass non-ESP Calculus I). In addition, ESP URM and ESP non-URM (first-generation but not URM) students succeed at similar levels in the ESP Calculus sequence of courses (81% of URM students and 82% of non-URM students pass ESP Calculus I). Finally, ESP URM students’ one-year retention rates are similar to those of ESP non-URM students and significantly higher than those of URM students in non-ESP sections of Calculus (92% of ESP URM Calculus I students were retained after one year, while only 83% of URM non-ESP Calculus I students were retained). These results suggest that ESP is ideally suited for retaining and graduating URM STEM majors, helping them overcome obstacles and barriers in STEM, and increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Calculus. 

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4. When Active Learning Is Inequitable: Women’s Participation Predicts Gender Inequities in Mathematical Performance

   https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2020-0143  

   Reinholz, Daniel; Johnson, Estrella; Andrews-Larson, Christine; Stone-Johnstone, Amelia; Smith, Jessica; Mullins, Brooke; Fortune, Nicholas; Keene, Karen; Shah, Niral (May 2022, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education)

   This article investigates the implementation of inquiry-oriented instruction in 20 undergraduate mathematics classrooms. In contrast to conventional wisdom that active learning is good for all students, we found gendered performance differences between women and men in the inquiry classes that were not present in a noninquiry comparison sample. Through a secondary analysis of classroom videos, we linked these performance inequities to differences in women’s participation rates across classes. Thus, we provide empirical evidence that simply implementing active learning is insufficient, and that the nature of inquiry-oriented classrooms is highly consequential for improving gender equity in mathematics. 

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5. Student-created math walks in informal learning spaces

   Walkington, C. (January 2022, .) Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences – ICLS 2022)

   Chinn, C. (Ed.)

   Math walks are a form of inquiry learning where students can observe and create mathematical meaning from their everyday surroundings. Here we report on a study of 5th and 6th graders in an informal learning setting where they create and present their own math walks covering concepts of ratio, scale, and proportion. The students may have developed more positive attitudes towards math and were able to meaningfully engage with powerful math ideas. 

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