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A Tale of Two Metaphors: Storylines About Mathematics Education in Canadian National Media

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Abstract

Public perception about mathematics education is developed and sustained by the Canadian news media. Our goal is to understand better the nature of this public discourse by identifying what is being communicated and how it is presented. We examine a data corpus of 71 online national newspaper articles (published between 2013 and 2015, a period that included the release of the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] results) and use text-analytic tools to analyze how meaning is conveyed in them. Drawing on the social psychological theory of positioning, which focuses on a general study of the manufacturing and management of meanings, we identify storylines, positions, and communication acts that are at play in how Canadian mathematics education is depicted. The data reveal that there are two connected core metaphors in relation to mathematics education. One posits mathematics education as being at war, whereas the second suggests that the war is over territory marked by two ways of teaching school mathematics. Along with the strategic positioning of certain individuals, we identify storylines that are problematic, conveying fictitious meanings about mathematics teaching and learning.

Résumé

La perception publique de l’enseignement des mathématiques se développe et se maintient grâce aux médias d’actualités canadiens. Notre but est de mieux comprendre la nature de ce discours public, en identifiant ce qui est communiqué au juste et comment ces informations sont présentées. Nous analysons un corpus de données comprenant 71 articles de journaux nationaux publiés en ligne (de 2013 à 2015, période qui inclut la parution des résultats PISA de 2012), et nous utilisons des outils d’analyse textuelle pour étudier les façons dont les signifiés sont véhiculés à travers eux. À partir de la théorie sociale psychologique du positionnement, centrée sur une étude générale de l’élaboration et de la gestion des signifiés, nous faisons ressortir les discours narratifs, le positionnement et les actes de communication qui entrent en jeu dans les représentations de l’enseignement des mathématiques au Canada. Les données montrent qu’il existe deux métaphores centrales reliées entre elles lorsqu’il est question d’enseignement des mathématiques. La première présente l’enseignement des mathématiques commeune guerre, et la seconde semble dire que cette guerre porte sur des territoires marqués par deux façons différentes d’enseigner les mathématiques à l’école. Outre le positionnement stratégique de certaines personnes, nous soulignons aussi la présence de discours narratifs problématiques qui véhiculent des signifiés fictifs au sujet de l’enseignement et l’apprentissage des mathématiques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Sheree Rodney, Annette Rouleau & Nathalie Sinclair

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  1. Sheree Rodney
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  2. Annette Rouleau
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  3. Nathalie Sinclair
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Correspondence to Sheree Rodney.

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Rodney, S., Rouleau, A. & Sinclair, N. A Tale of Two Metaphors: Storylines About Mathematics Education in Canadian National Media. Can J Sci Math Techn 16, 389–401 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926156.2016.1235747

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