Mathematics reborn: Empowerment with youth participatory action research EntreMundos in reconstructing our relationship with mathematics

Abstract

<p>In this dissertation mathematics is positioned as guiding epistemology with participatory action research (PAR) EntreMundos epistemology that simultaneous explores mathematical youth empowerment and the nature of mathematics within youth participatory action research (YPAR). Anzaldúa’s theory of conocimientos allows for the exploration of consciousness while youth engage in a mathematics (Y)PAR EntreMundos summer program. The first main research explorations focus on understand how mathematics can be lived within YPAR and the second question gives insight on how the seven stages of conocimientos manifest in the learning of mathematics. (Y)PAR EntreMundos as such acts as the epistemology and methodology of this study. Narrative inquiry and context analysis are two methods used with thematic analysis to make meaning of the data.</p> <p>YPAR creates a rich education space for young people to explore societal issues, in that mathematics is introduced to enhance the YPAR experience. Mathematics is epistemologically defined through indigenous cosmologies as a living entity, to further view mathematics as an ontological relationship, foregrounds in an axiology of mathematics being an experience. (Y)PAR EntreMundos and conocimientos then allows for an expansion and development of individual-collective consciousness. The relationship between self, mathematics and others creates a full embodiment of mathematical learning.</p> <p>The dissertation, chapter 5 is a narrative of the ten day summer mathematics (Y)PAR EntreMundos program that was a partnership between myself, a Latinx community based organization and a University college pathway program for underrepresented students majoring in AgSTEM. The narrative an overview of each day of the program. Chapter 6 contains results for coding, where context analysis was utilized. Chapter 7 discusses the mathematical manifestation of the seven stages of conocimientos. The youth who participated in this project, had a clear shift in their consciousness in living with mathematics as a collective with (Y)PAR EntreMundos. Mathematics with (Y)AR EntreMundos showed to transformative because it provides a space for both mathematical reflection and mathematical action.</p>