The Contribution of Course Materials to a Social Justice Agenda: Lessons from a Quantitative Literacy Course for Undergraduate Social Science Students

Abstract

This article examines an ‘unstated’ belief that as the content of a given Quantitative Literacy course grows progressively more complex, the activities relating to social justice issues will surface at a higher cognitive level than those activities lacking social justice issues of social justice. Through the lens of the cognitive apprenticeship model and by means of a four-domain framework, an analysis was conducted of the contribution of the course materials to strengthening student awareness of social justice issues affecting their society. Results show that the expectation that activities relating to social justice outside the classroom would become more abundant as the course evolved over the semester did not materialise. Nonetheless, results did show that activities, which had a social justice agenda, were rated more highly on a cognitive level, than activities without social justice traits. This suggests that the course could thus still achieve its hidden aim of making students more aware of the societal issues in their communities. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1190