ERIC Number: EJ1466536
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-3831
EISSN: EISSN-1470-1170
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Diversity in Norwegian Mathematics Examinations, 1962-2020
Bjørn Smestad1; Aina Fossum1
Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, v69 n3 p552-566 2025
Increasingly, mathematics educators see the importance of representation of diversity in pedagogical texts. The number of identity markers often considered has increased over the previous half century, and now includes, for instance, gender, class, ethnicity, religion, functionality, and sexual orientation. We investigate representation of different identity markers in Norwegian mathematics exams in compulsory school ("Grunnskolen") during the period 1962-2020. Through a quantitative content analysis of 1514 exam tasks, we gain a detailed picture of change over time. Representation in Norwegian examination tasks has improved gradually over the past half century. While representation of girls approached 50% in the 1980s, people with non-stereotypical Scandinavian names or appearances (non-white) were in the single digits until the 2000s. However, it appears that inclusion has been selective, and that some groups are still invisible. There are no clear examples of homosexuality and only two of explicitly disabled people in our material.
Descriptors: Educational History, Mathematics Instruction, Diversity, Textbooks, Instructional Materials, Illustrations, Mathematics Tests, Compulsory Education, Task Analysis, Content Analysis, Gender Differences, Ethnicity, Race, Inclusion, Homosexuality, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Norway
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Primary and Secondary Teacher Education, Faculty of Education and International Studies, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway