Social class inequalities in attitudes towards mathematics and achievement in mathematics cross generations: a quantitative Bourdieusian analysis

Abstract

Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of social and cultural reproduction, this article utilizes the conceptual tools of habitus and cultural capital to examine intergenerational inequalities in attitudes towards mathematics and mathematics learning in three secondary schools in England. Data from 1079 students aged 14–16 included mathematics achievement, survey measures of attitudes towards mathematics, perceived parental attitudes towards mathematics, newly developed scales for cultural capital and habitus, and social class. There was a very strong relationship between student’s attitudes towards mathematics and students’ perceptions of their parents’ attitudes towards mathematics. Middle-class students reported more positive attitudes towards mathematics, more positive perceived parental attitudes towards mathematics, and had higher mathematics achievement than working-class students. Cultural capital had a significant positive effect on students’ attitudes towards mathematics but a minor effect on their achievement in mathematics. However, cultural capital’s effect on students’ attitudes and achievement in mathematics faded when habitus was included in the model. We suggest that habitus may play a more central role than cultural capital in the reproduction of mathematics inequalities. School quality had a modest but significant impact on mathematics outcomes in this study, so we argue that challenges to mathematics inequalities will require changes both within and outside of mathematics classrooms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10649-021-10078-5.

The role of students' mathematics perception and self‐efficacy toward their mathematics achievement

“…Similarly, Quaye and Pomeroy (2022) in their study of 1079 students' aged 14-16 in three secondary schools in England found a very strong relationship between students' attitudes, perceptions and, interest toward mathematics, and students' perceptions of their parents' attitudes toward mathematics. The finding of their study suggested that students' attitude needs to be positive to learn mathematics.…”

“…At the secondary level, mathematics is considered as a core subject (Quaye & Pomeroy, 2022). The market value placed on high‐level mathematical skills needed for certain commercial, technological and scientific roles makes mathematics subject as core than other subjects (Quaye & Pomeroy, 2022). Mathematics subject is a core academic skill that has been receiving increasing attention (Vostanis et al, 2021) at which students need to achieve better results.…”

“…Students' perceptions of mathematics need to be positive and there should be a sense of hope to learn so that students can achieve better results in mathematics. Otherwise, it is difficult to expect students can learn mathematics and achieve better results without having positive perceptions (Quaye & Pomeroy, 2022). Similarly, students with high‐sense of academic self‐efficacy are more likely to exert effort (Özcan & Kültür, 2021); however, those with low academic self‐efficacy put in less effort in attempting to accomplish academic tasks (Arifin & Herman, 2021).…”

Aspects of attitudes towards mathematics in modeling activities: Usefulness, interest, and social roles of mathematics

“…Practical applications of abstract mathematical content can arouse interest in the content covered and this interest can extend to other courses. Future work can investigate how interest is socially constructed, that is, the development of ilussio (Bourdieu, 1994), which could explain the difference between looking at mathematics at the individual and group level (Jorgensen et al, 2014;Quaye & Pomeroy, 2022). In addition, the most frequent use of modeling in various contexts and content can not only maintain interest, but also improve it.…”

“…For example, in our modeling context, a student may be interested in modeling by witnessing the hard work of colleagues and begins to try to reach the target, that is, to produce the model. Some researchers have applied Bourdieu's (1994) ideas in the field of mathematics education (Jorgensen et al, 2014) including in some aspects of the attitude towards mathematics (Quaye & Pomeroy, 2022).…”