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‘Gender games’: a post-structural exploration of the prospective teacher, mathematics and identity

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Abstract

In this article, I draw on post-structural and feminist epistemologies to analyse interview data from two prospective teachers on a primary education degree. Specifically I use Foucauldian critical discourse analysis to discuss the competing discourses of the masculine mathematician and the feminine primary school teacher. The initial purpose of the article is to deconstruct the themes of control, choice and confidence, which I argue are prevalent within mathematical discourses within our current neoliberal society. A further aim of the article is to explore the representation of discourse and data within educational texts, which I do by experimenting with the language used throughout.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone that has made suggestions and comments on the article, it is much appreciated. Special thanks to Heather Mendick and Peter Gates for their support and patience.

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  1. School of Education, Durham University, Leazes Road, Durham, DH1 1TA, UK

    Anna Llewellyn

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  1. Anna Llewellyn
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Correspondence to Anna Llewellyn.

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Llewellyn, A. ‘Gender games’: a post-structural exploration of the prospective teacher, mathematics and identity. J Math Teacher Educ 12, 411–426 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-009-9109-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-009-9109-0

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