Women, mathematics and epistemology: an integrated framework

Abstract

This paper is work in progress on the integration of two epistemological theories to explore the transformational process of further education for women returning to study mathematics in Melbourne, Australia. In this context, the literature reports that women commonly have a perceived need for procedural over relational understanding consistent with their belief that mathematics is absolute and infallible. The teaching philosophy adopted to shift this orientation usually draws on and values the women's own experiences and promotes a collaborative classroom environment. While success stories in these teaching contexts highlight the increased confidence of women, the nature of their epistemological assumptions and whether these shift to promote more complex ways of mathematical knowing have received little attention. The two epistemological models of Baxter Magolda (1992) and Belenky et al. (1997) have been tentatively integrated for the purpose of providing an epistemological framework to analyse the experiences of women in the further education sector returning to study mathematics.