Whose Mirror? Cultural Reproduction in Mathematics Word Problems

Abstract

The hidden curriculum, which serves as a quiet suggestion for appropriation, is a tremendous part of any educational experience, including mathematics education in the US. Drawing from the insights of 72 bilingual teacher candidates, this work illuminates the means by which the hidden curriculum is layered into mathematics word problems in ways that carry specific cultural messages. Invoking a strongly postmodern approach, wherein “text” may consist of not only written material, but rather, may include spoken or visual representations, the participants in this work identified the ways mathematics texts (word problems) have the potential to serve as negative or less-than-desirable influences on the thinking of students. Drawing from critical theory and post-structuralism, and speaking to issues related to consumerism, acquisitiveness, and child-rearing, the participants in this work highlight manifestations of “normal” that represented a mismatch with their own lived experiences, which by extension, may represent a similar mismatch between the problems and the lived experiences of their students.