Ethnomathematics in the Dominican Republic: A Mathematics Education Approach to Knowledge and Emancipation

This focus of this project was to look at the extent to which ethnomathematics is being used in the mathematics curriculum in theDominican Republic. Broadly described, ethnomathematics emphasizes that the culture, history, and experiences of the students are significant and therefore should be infused into the mathematics curriculum. I read articles and books as well as traveled to theDominican Republicto conduct qualitative research. I interviewed 32 professionals consisting of mathematics teachers, mathematics professors, and mathematics education professors from theSantiagoandSanto Domingoareas. I then volunteered at the Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring (DREAM) Project where I was able to observe and participate in a mathematics classroom. After analyzing the data I collected, I found three themes that were explained at least five times throughout all of my interviews. The themes that I heard were a lack of mathematics teacher preparation prior to teaching, an attempt to link certain cultural experiences of the students with the mathematics material, and a general inclination to leave Dominican history, and specifically the African ancestry of the people, out of the mathematics curriculum. These themes brought me to the conclusion that there is a need for more training and professional development opportunities for teachers in theDominican Republic. I also feel that the use of ethnomathematics in the mathematics curriculum could help to address some of the racialized issues prevalent in the Dominican Republic