Pupils’ gendered experiences in the mathematics classroom: “When you’re in a class with such dominant boys, it’s not easy to put yourself forward”

Abstract

Many studies worldwide conclude that there are no significant differences between the academic performance of boys and girls in school mathematics. In fact, girls are often found to outperform boys in several countries. However, girls and women continue to participate less in mathematics classrooms and have lower enrolment rates in STEM-related subjects. To investigate this paradox, we utilise the theoretical framework of figured worlds (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain in Identity and agency in cultural worlds, Harvard University Press, 1998) and examine how a group of three boys and a group of four girls experience participation in the mathematics classroom. All children had attended the same 9th grade (ages 14–15) in Norway. Based on focus-group and individual interviews with the children, this study identifies three themes around which children construct their experiences: (a) gendered participation in the mathematics classroom, (b) what it means to be a ‘good’ mathematics pupil, and (c) the teacher’s role in fostering pupil participation. In closing, we discuss implications of our work and make recommendations for future research.