Alternate Trajectories: Women Moving into Mathematics Education

Abstract

While only about one-third of each year’s doctoral graduates in mathematics are women, about two-thirds of the doctoral graduates in mathematics education are women. This article reports on the results of a qualitative investigation into the nature of the graduate school-related experiences of women in collegiate mathematics education doctoral programs (Toney, 2008). Eight women with advanced mathematics degrees were interviewed. Each woman chose to move into a collegiate mathematics education doctoral program in a mathematics department. The two-interview protocol explored and extended a framework about women doctoral mathematics students’ experiences suggested by the research of Herzig (2002, 2004a, 2004b), Hollenshead, Younce, and Wenzel (1994), and Stage and Maple (1996). Results support an addition of three new categories to this framework: self as scholar, "my teaching," and future possible self. Concluding remarks include suggestions for future research and new directions for practice, graduate program development, and faculty recruitment.