Mathematical modeling for social justice with elementary students in a mathematics enrichment program: A case study on minimum wage determination
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This study explores mathematical modeling as a pedagogical tool for social justice (MSJ) to foster critical social awareness. It analyzes the process wherein elementary students in a mathematics enrichment program engage with a minimum wage determination task from a critical mathematics education (CME) perspective. This qualitative case study focused on 17 sixth-grade students in an advanced mathematics program in Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected over four class sessions through worksheets, presentations, observation records, and discussions. The analysis employed Borromeo Ferri’s (2006) cognitive modeling cycle and Gutstein’s (2007) framework of three knowledge types (community, classical, critical) to examine students’ problem-solving processes and critical thinking development. Findings show that students successfully structured the social dilemma. Crucially, they applied classical knowledge, such as percentages, and intuitively utilized concepts of weighted averages to construct ‘fair’ minimum wage models, explicitly embedding their social values by assigning weights. They also critically validated their models, acknowledging their limitations and the necessity of social consensus, with some groups proposing concrete social policies to supplement their mathematical solutions. The study concludes that mathematical modeling centered on social justice is a feasible and effective pedagogy for students with high interest and capability in mathematics. It allows them to dialectically integrate community, classical, and critical knowledge, fostering not only mathematical competence but also foundational experiences of critical statistical literacy and civic dispositions. This suggests that with appropriate scaffolding extending their curricular knowledge, young learners can engage in sophisticated socio-mathematical reasoning and grow as conscious agents of change.
Abstract
This study explores mathematical modeling as a pedagogical tool for social justice (MSJ) to foster critical social awareness. It analyzes the process wherein elementary students in a mathematics enrichment program engage with a minimum wage determination task from a critical mathematics education (CME) perspective. This qualitative case study focused on 17 sixth-grade students in an advanced mathematics program in Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected over four class sessions through worksheets, presentations, observation records, and discussions. The analysis employed Borromeo Ferri’s (2006) cognitive modeling cycle and Gutstein’s (2007) framework of three knowledge types (community, classical, critical) to examine students’ problem-solving processes and critical thinking development. Findings show that students successfully structured the social dilemma. Crucially, they applied classical knowledge, such as percentages, and intuitively utilized concepts of weighted averages to construct ‘fair’ minimum wage models, explicitly embedding their social values by assigning weights. They also critically validated their models, acknowledging their limitations and the necessity of social consensus, with some groups proposing concrete social policies to supplement their mathematical solutions. The study concludes that mathematical modeling centered on social justice is a feasible and effective pedagogy for students with high interest and capability in mathematics. It allows them to dialectically integrate community, classical, and critical knowledge, fostering not only mathematical competence but also foundational experiences of critical statistical literacy and civic dispositions. This suggests that with appropriate scaffolding extending their curricular knowledge, young learners can engage in sophisticated socio-mathematical reasoning and grow as conscious agents of change.