CLASSROOM FACTORS THAT IMPACT STUDENT NEGATIVE DISPOSITIONSTOWARD MATHEMATICS: CONSIDERATIONS FOR EQUITY

As we move forward in time, technology is advancing, giving educators the chance to improve the way math is taught and to provide students with all the resources they need. Although technology can help with equitability, math proficiency is still lacking in pre-and post-secondary schools. Hence, rather than solely focusing on technology, one must consider educators’, parents’, and students’ negative mathematical dispositions: it is vital to switch these negative mathematical dispositions to productive dispositions. In this literature review, I begin by defining and emphasizing productive disposition. Then, I investigate the effects of some of the “roots” of secondary school students’ negative mathematical dispositions. These “roots” are divided into three categories, all of which result from the history of math education and/or the continuing use of traditional teaching approaches. The varying research papers and case studies reveal the result and causes of these negative dispositions. Lastly, I explore equitable teaching approaches (i.e. student-centered approaches and some teacher-centered approaches) that potentially support productive disposition and vice versa, in hopes of shifting traditional teaching approaches to student-centered approaches.