An Intersection of Mathematics Educational Values and Cultural Values: Pāsifika Students’ Understanding and Explanation of Their Mathematics Educational Values

Abstract

Purpose: This article investigates the mathematics educational values of Pāsifika students in New Zealand. It draws on student voice to examine Pāsifika students’ understanding of mathematics educational values and their reasons for rating values at different levels of importance. Design/Approach/Methods: The study involved Years 7 and 8 Pāsifika students from two low-socioeconomic middle schools. Students selected their most and least important mathematics educational value statements on a survey. Semi-structured individual interviews were used to investigate their reasons for selecting the values. Findings: The mathematics educational values ranked highly by the greatest percentage of students were practice, family, respect, and persistence. In contrast, the values of accuracy and utility were rated as least important. Student interview data revealed commonalities in accounting for the importance of different values. The findings indicate an intersection between the mathematics educational values and cultural values of Pāsifika people. Originality/Value: There have been few studies that have explored the mathematics educational values of Pāsifika students. The current study provides insight into why specific values are important to Pāsifika students and how these may influence classroom interactions. The use of student interview data widens the existing literature focused on values in mathematics education.

Values and Valuing Across Cultures and Time Zones

“…The focus is on mathematics educational values (Bishop, 1988(Bishop, , 1996 and their reasons, involving Pāsifika students in New Zealand. As in the research conducted by Dede et al (2021), Hunter (2021 acknowledges the values as being anchored in society, mathematics and mathematics education. Thus, the cultural background of the learner has a bearing on their values (Lee & Seah, 2015;Seah, 2016;Zhang, 2019;Zhang et al, 2016).…”

“…In her case, the scope of the research allows her to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to identify what is important in mathematical education for the group of students, and to develop her own research survey rather than using results from existing ones, even taking the latter as the basis for the first. Hunter's (2021) research decisions are responses to the challenge of achieving equity in education, incorporating Pāsifika students' values to the existing educational discourses. Tang et al (2021) present results from a quantitative study on students' mathematics values in Chinese mainland.…”

“…). As in the studies ofDede et al (2021) andHunter (2021), the focus is on variations of values; in this…”

Exploring Issues About Values in Mathematics Education

“…Based on the findings of the study, the researchers argued how Korean students' values about mathematics and mathematics learning might explain their excellent performance despite a "negative" affective mode, as evidenced in large international comparative studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Hunter's (2021) article reports a study that examined 134 Pāsifika students' beliefs of mathematics educational values and their reasons for rating values at different levels of importance.…”

Taking a Strength-Based Approach: Bringing Student Homes into Schools During a Pandemic

“…Clearly, both sets of values are underpinned by those of a collectivism society's and strongly focused on the wellbeing of the collective as a whole. In our recent research, we showed that students named family, respect, and collectivism as particularly important educational values they drew on as they engaged in mathematics in classrooms (Anthony, 2013;Hill et al, 2019;Hunter, 2021).…”