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Embracing Culturally Relevant Education in Mathematics and Science: A Literature Review

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Abstract

Culturally relevant education (CRE) approaches use minoritized populations’ cultural capital to break the perennial cycle of these groups’ underperformance. Yet, mathematics and science teachers do not feel confident in using CRE approaches. This literature review explores the practices and challenges that accompany CRE implementations in math and science classrooms aiming to inform mathematics and science teachers’ preparation for equitable education. Practices were clustered in alignment with the CRE outcomes, namely cultural competence, academic achievement, and critical consciousness; further categories were inductively identified. Challenges were clustered in teachers’ beliefs, lack of inclusive tools, and influence of institutional norms. Insights from the findings inform implications for preparing math and science teachers for equitable education.

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Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Dr. Jennifer Kahn for her feedback during the earlier stages of this manuscript’s preparation. I am also grateful to the reviewer who I got to know as “the reviewer #2” for guidance and suggestions, which improved considerably this work.

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    Maria Kolovou

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Appendix: Reviewed Empirical Studies

Appendix: Reviewed Empirical Studies

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Table 4 Matrices Used for an Initial Recording of the Reviewed Empirical Papers
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Kolovou, M. Embracing Culturally Relevant Education in Mathematics and Science: A Literature Review. Urban Rev 55, 133–172 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-022-00643-4

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