What mathematical competencies does a citizen need to interpret Mexico’s official information about the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract

We report a study on mathematical literacy with special emphasis on health literacy. In particular, we identify and characterize the mathematical competencies that a citizen needs to interpret the official information on the COVID-19 pandemic as experienced in Mexico. To achieve this, we analyze the daily reports on the pandemic issued by the Mexican Ministry of Health, using the framework of mathematical competencies as a theoretical lens. Our results show that there are five necessary competencies to interpret the official information: mathematical communication, mathematical representation, mathematical symbols and formalism, mathematical modeling, and mathematical reasoning competency. After characterizing and illustrating these competencies, we close the paper with a reflection on the importance of mathematical literacy in a pandemic world.

Welcome to the era of vague news: a study of the demands of statistical and mathematical products in the COVID-19 pandemic media

“…This study mapped categories of StaMPs within a large sample of media items related to the COVID-19 pandemic sampled from four diverse media outlets situated in different countries. This approach has extended the work of studies with a similar focus (Aguilar & Castaneda, 2021 ; Jablonka & Bergsten, 2021 ; Kwon et al, 2021 ), both in terms of sample size, the diversity of media items, and methodology.…”

“…This requires the extension of the current categories to accommodate the demands of media items on other significant civic topics, such as global warming or equity, and using additional and more diverse sources of media outlets. Furthermore, it is important for future studies to go beyond analysis of text (print or digital) and examine the nature of StaMPs communicated via gestures (see Aguilar & Castaneda, 2021 ) and oral (spoken) modes of expression, such as by experts or presenters on TV news, radio programs, or podcasts. Promoting educational programs aimed at developing the capability of citizens to use blended knowledge and critically evaluate both the meaning and strength of evidence that are used to support the claims and arguments of experts and other commentators in the media.…”

“…This requires the extension of the current categories to accommodate the demands of media items on other significant civic topics, such as global warming or equity, and using additional and more diverse sources of media outlets. Furthermore, it is important for future studies to go beyond analysis of text (print or digital) and examine the nature of StaMPs communicated via gestures (see Aguilar & Castaneda, 2021 ) and oral (spoken) modes of expression, such as by experts or presenters on TV news, radio programs, or podcasts.…”

“…The third group, which is particularly relevant to the current study, includes reports on systematic analyses of media items. An extensive search has so far identified only three such articles: Kwon et al ( 2021 ) analyzed the demands of graphs (only) in seven South Korean newspapers; Aguilar and Castaneda ( 2021 ) utilized a sample of 25 video-based daily reports from the Mexican Ministry of Health; and Jablonka and Bergsten ( 2021 ) canvassed 40 media items from a single news website in Germany. While innovative and insightful, these studies have either focused on a single mathematical topic or used a single media source, often employing a pre-existing conceptual framework to guide a content analysis of data.…”

Roles of technologies for future teaching in a pandemic: activity, agency, and humans-with-media

“…Research on the impact of COVID-19 in education has grown significantly worldwide. Mathematics Education researchers have investigated subjects such as required competencies and curriculum development in local contexts (Maraví Zavaleta, 2021 ; Aguilar & Castaneda, 2021 ), perceptions, uses and barriers in educational environments using technologies (Yılmaz et al, 2021 ), and family interaction with schools regarding children’s mathematics education (Leon, 2021 ). Such studies have documented the impact of the pandemic on education in specific communities and authors have discussed its implications in terms of projected strategies and recommended guidelines.…”