The End of Innocence: A Critique of 'Ethnomathematics'

Ethnomathematics originated in the former colonies, in response to the Eurocentrism of the history of mathematics, mathematics itself and mathematics education. It has also found expression in several other contexts. It is a part of the broader framework that elaborates the social and political dimensions of mathematics and mathematics education but especially, the dimension of culture. This focus on culture examined in the unique context of South Africa makes visible both conceptual difficulties in its formulation and also difficulties with respect to its interpretation into educational practice. This paper explores a critique of ethnomathematics using the South African situation and conceptual tools of a critical mathematrics education.     

Engagement in Academic Work: The Role of Learning Goals, Future Consequences, Pleasing Others, and Perceived Ability

Engagement in academic work was viewed from a multiple goals perspective. Two studies were conducted in which high school math students completed an instrument measuring five goals students might have for doing academic work (learning goals, performance goals, obtaining future consequences, pleasing the teacher, and pleasing the family), perceived math ability, self-regulatory activities, strategies (deep or shallow) used when studying for math, and the amount of effort and persistence expended on the class. Factor analysis indicated that the five goals scales and the perceived ability scale represented unique factors. The correlations among the variables revealed theoretically consistent interrelationships. Multiple regression analyses indicated that various goals (e.g., learning goals, obtaining future consequences, and pleasing the teacher), perceived ability, and some interactions accounted for significant amounts of variance in the task engagement measures (self-regulation, strategy use, effort, and persistence) and achievement. Results are discussed in relation to current theory and their practical implications.