Comparative Perspectives in Creating Gender Awareness: Stories from Elementary Mathematics Classrooms in Pakistan

The paper presents the findings of an action based project conducted by EdQual Research Programme Consortium whereby the project investigates the quality of education in Pakistan and more specifically designs approaches that can aid in enhancing problem solving skills and raising gender equity in mathematics classroom. Interviews, classroom observations and application of various frameworks including Polya (1957), Mason & Burton (1993) and Fraser (1997) reveals that all classrooms are largely led by teachers and emphasis is placed on text book material. However, girls in Pakistan are exposed to low quality mathematics education as self-efficacy and qualifications of girl’s teachers is far inferior in comparison to boy’s teachers.

Findings reveal that teachers were eager to participate in the problem solving process as opposed to raising their awareness on gender issues and this lack of awareness hampers the ability to raise the quality of education. The study recognizes that teachers must be involved in designing and implementing the reform process as teacher agency is a critical element of success for reforms to provide the desired results. The paper concludes that policy makers must realize that higher quality of education is intricately connected to multi dimensional issues of social justice and a social justice framework must be designed at a national level with particular emphasis on teacher professional development in mathematic skills across the board.