Thursday, April 23, 2026
3 PM - 5 PM

Dissertation title: Reimagining the Compulsory Mathematics Curriculum: A Social Justice Approach to Enhancing Relevance and Engagement for College Students in the Caribbean

Program name: Educational Leadership- Organizational Justice Equity and Inclusion (OJEI) Track

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Abstract of the dissertation

This qualitative study examines students’ perceptions of the relevance and engagement of the compulsory mathematics curriculum in Caribbean colleges, with a focus on those who have completed MAT 142 – Algebra Essentials. Compulsory mathematics is often experienced as abstract, culturally disconnected, and misaligned with students’ academic and career aspirations, contributing to disengagement and low performance. Guided by a social justice education framework and principles of critical pedagogy, the study explores how curriculum design and instructional practices shape students’ experiences and engagement. Using purposive sampling, twelve students participated in semi-structured interviews, five of whom engaged in a follow-up focus group discussion. Data were collected in simulated professional settings, audio-recorded with consent, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis generated three interconnected themes: shifting identities of mathematics learners, navigating MAT142 between challenge, support, and survival, and contested meanings of relevance. The findings indicate that students’ mathematical identities evolve over time and are influenced by the perceived relevance of learning experiences. While participants recognized Mathematics as meaningful in everyday contexts, they described the formal curriculum as abstract, fast-paced, and disconnected from their lived realities. Although instructional support facilitated coping and academic persistence, it did not necessarily promote meaningful engagement. As a result, many students adopted survival-oriented learning strategies focused on assessment completion rather than conceptual understanding. The study concludes that enhancing engagement in compulsory mathematics requires a reimagining of the curriculum through culturally responsive, contextually grounded, and socially just approaches. Such approaches should prioritize relevance, student voice, and authentic applications of Mathematics. Recommendations include integrating real-world and culturally relevant content, strengthening collaboration between students and curriculum developers, and conducting further research on the long-term impact of curriculum reform in Caribbean mathematics education. Keywords: mathematics education, student engagement, social justice, Caribbean colleges, curriculum reform, compulsory mathematics, qualitative research, relevance, culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), equity.

Dissertation committee members:
Dr. Rashmi Sharma (Chair)
Dr. Gloria Delany-Barmann
Dr. Robert Mann