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Mathematics Reborn: Empowerment with Youth Participatory Action Research Entremundos in Reconstructing Our Relationship with Mathematics

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Mathematics Reborn: Empowerment with Youth Participatory Action Research Entremundos in Reconstructing Our Relationship with Mathematics Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2020 Mathematics reborn: Empowerment with youth participatory action research EntreMundos in reconstructing our relationship with mathematics Ricardo Martinez Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Martinez, Ricardo, "Mathematics reborn: Empowerment with youth participatory action research EntreMundos in reconstructing our relationship with mathematics" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 18181. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/18181 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Mathematics reborn: Empowerment with youth participatory action research EntreMundos in reconstructing our relationship with mathematics by Ricardo Martinez A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Education Program of Study Committee: Ji Yeong I, Major Professor Christa Jackson Mollie Appelgate EunJin Bahng Julio Cammarota The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this dissertation. The Graduate College will ensure this dissertation is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2020 Copyright © Ricardo Martinez, 2020. All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION This is dedicated to everyone that existed before me and everyone that will live after me. I want to start by saying, if not for the life work of Gloria E. Anzaldúa, I would not be the person I am today, and this dissertation would have never been. In many ways, I would not be able to dedicate this dissertation to all the people that existed with me without the awareness of myself and the world I gained from Anzaldúa’s words and stories. Thus I dedicate this to everyone I grew up with from Delano – this is for everyone who’s parent(s) worked in the fields and for anyone associated, affiliated or adjacent to gang life because gangs (you) are not the problem and that is why I work to change and challenge systems of oppression through education. We must all first understand the root cause of societal pain and trauma, where gangs are only a symptom. I say that because too many people I grew up with either don’t exist, are in jail, or spent and are spending too much time behind bars. For that reason, this work is dedicated to the multiple future revolutions that we must support together. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................v ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 An Introduction To REALM ..................................................................................................... 1 Mathematics Researcher Positionality ....................................................................................... 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................14 Critical Pedagogy and Mathematics Education.................................................................. 14 Feminism Pedagogy and Critical Pedagogy ....................................................................... 18 Spiritual Activism and Conocimientos............................................................................... 20 Critical Consciousness ....................................................................................................... 23 Ethnomathematics .............................................................................................................. 24 Identity, Mathematics, and Dehumanization in Mathematics Education ........................... 25 Equity, Mathematics and “Social Justice” ......................................................................... 26 Critical Literacy, Mathematics, and Critical Consciousness .............................................. 28 Youth Participatory Action Research and Mathematics .................................................... 29 CHAPTER 3. FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................31 (Y)PAR EntreMundos Epistemologies ................................................................................... 31 Conocimientos when reading and writing the word ........................................................... 37 Autohistoria-teoria-mathematica ............................................................................................. 42 Conocimientos: The Story .................................................................................................. 43 Chapter Summary: Conocimientos and Mathematical Shift ................................................... 46 CHAPTER 4. METHODS .............................................................................................................48 History ................................................................................................................................ 48 Researchers Role ................................................................................................................ 49 Recruitment ........................................................................................................................ 50 Context ............................................................................................................................... 51 REALM Structure .............................................................................................................. 51 Data Collection ................................................................................................................... 55 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 5. RESULTS PART I - NARRATIVE .......................................................................59 Narrative of Ten-Day Program ................................................................................................ 59 Day 1: The Formation of a Collective ................................................................................ 60 Day 2: Generative Themes Emerge .................................................................................... 65 Day 3: Identifying Key Stakeholders ................................................................................. 69 Day 4(5): Critical Social Science Research Training ......................................................... 74 Day (5): Reviewing Generative Themes ............................................................................ 78 iv Day 6: Data Collecting ....................................................................................................... 80 Day 7: Revisiting theoretical framing of conocimientos .................................................... 82 Day 8: Identifying Patterns and Themes ............................................................................ 85 Day 9: Bringing Everything Together ................................................................................ 88 Day 10: Presentations and Next Steps ................................................................................ 92 Mathematical Turns: Towards an Epistemology of YPAR EntreMundos .............................. 93 Turn 1: Our Roots, Ancient Mathematical Wisdom .......................................................... 94 Turn 2: Our Voice, A Mathematical Creative Praxes ........................................................ 95 Turn 3: Our World, A Lens of Mathematical Critical Literacy ......................................... 97 A Balance of Action and Reflection ........................................................................................ 98 CHAPTER 6. RESULTS PART II ..............................................................................................100 Results of Individual Youth ................................................................................................... 100 Results of Group Analysis ..................................................................................................... 110 Results of Collective Analysis ............................................................................................... 112 Chapter Summary .................................................................................................................. 114 CHAPTER 7. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION ........................................................................116 Discussions of the Seven Stages of Conocimientos .............................................................. 116 el arrebato: a catalyst
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