A longitudinal model for the study of equity issues in mathematics education

The purpose of the present study is to develop appropriate analytical models which simultaneously examine the effects of various equity variables on mathematics achievement and learning. The achievement differences among groups based on race, socioeconomic status and gender have been well documented in the mathematics education literature. However, these equity variables tend to be treated as separate issues and seldom integrated in prior studies although these group memberships are inseparable. This study examines psychological models which integrate the three equity variables and interrelationship among them with a consideration of the effects of different mathematics curricular tracks and relevant affective variables.Furthermore, this study addresses the issues of equity on student learning, which is a primary goal of schooling. Learning is operationally defined in this study as a continuous measure of growth over a specified period of time. Previous studies on equity issues have been usually cross-sectional, and therefore, inferences have been made almost exclusively on student achievement at a particular point in time rather than on student learning over time. This study provides more reliable estimates of student learning which are based on multiple time points--at least three waves of data.The subjects of this study come from the younger grade cohort of the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY). The primary sample (5-wave data) includes 1385 students. The issues of equity are addressed on grade 9 status (achievement) and rates of growth during grades 7 through 11 (learning). The effects of different curricular tracks at grade 9 and five affective variables are also examined. To accommodate the hierarchical characteristics of educational processes and get more precise estimates of individual growth and group differences, the hierarchical linear model (HLM) is employed in this study as a methodological tool.Previous research findings regarding minority and SES gaps on achievement are supported in this study such that minority, lower SES students are disadvantaged in terms of their achievement. Moreover, this study shows that SES based gap differs between males and females, between minority and non-minority students. However, a general belief that males outperform females in mathematics at secondary schooling is not supported here.This study indicates that inequity among students based on gender, minority status, and SES is of more concern on achievement than on learning because equity variables and their interactions do not explain much about individual differences in learning. As this study shows far larger inequalities among students in different mathematics classes, knowledge about within-classroom organizational structures might help us better understand what makes student learn mathematics. Based on these findings, relevant policy issues and recommendations for further study are also discussed in this study.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio