Methodologies of research into gender and other social differences within a multi-faceted conception of social justice

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky

The discussion frames social justice as combining distribution and recognition within social relations. Distribution concerns how goods, knowledge, skills, rights, and related symbolic resources are allocated across social groups, while recognition addresses how society structures encounters through communication, respect, and modes of “treatment.” The paper emphasizes gender alongside social class and ethnicity and argues that studying social justice requires both quantitative and qualitative methods, supplemented by a representation-and-power facet and a hybrid methodology.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

2. A dual understanding of social justice

Methodologies of research into gender and other social differences within a multi-faceted conception of social justice Jeff Evans Mathematics & Statistics Group Middlesex University, UK <[J.Evans@mdx.ac.uk](J.Evans@mdx.ac.uk)> Anna Tsatsaroni Department of Social and Educational Policy University of Peloponnese, Greece <[tsatsaro@uop.gr](tsatsaro@uop.gr)> Abstract Our discussion of social justice begins by embracing both distribution and recognition aspects of social relations (Vincent, 2003) . The first aspect considers the way that goods, knowledge, skills, rights, etc. are distributed among social groups; the second aspect focuses on aspects of society structuring social encounters and relations – modes of communication, 'treatment', respect. Our approach to social justice focuses not only on the dimension of gender, but also on social class and ethnicity: we consider that concern with these latter forms is crucial for a full appreciation of the structural and the interactional aspects conveyed by the concept (Arnot, 2002; Gillborn & Mirza, 2000) . In methodological terms we argue that researching the questions posed by a social justice agenda, will require both 'quantitative' and 'qualitative'methods – within any substantial research programme, and even within individual studies. Our emphasis on the theoretical aspects of formulating a research problem points to the importance of a third facet of social justice, to do with representation and power. We discuss several examples of fruitfully combining different aspects of social justice and multiple methods of research. In particular, we argue that considerations of social justice, and a related „hybrid‟ methodology, will play a crucial role in our ongoing study of the (re)production of images of mathematics in popular culture, and in particular advertising. Key Words: social justice, equality, gender, social class, ethnicity, quantitative methods, qualitative methods, hybrid methodology. 1. Introduction There is a range of concepts available for considering the fairness or otherwise of social arrangements in society, and their relationship to the education system and its effects on individuals and social groups. Here, we focus on social justice. Other work discussed below focuses on equality, or on democracy. Indeed, social justice is a good concept to focus the discussion, because it is clearly related to the idea of equity or fairness, and because it is currently widely discussed in educational research (e.g. Vincent, 2003; Arnot, 2002; Burton, 2003; Philosophy of Mathematics Education Journal, 2007) . It also appears to resonate with contemporary policymakers' concerns, including the European Union's social agenda and the activities (or rhetoric) of many national governments around the world. The concept of social justice provides a way of grouping two distinct, but related, aspects: distributive justice and justice in terms of recognition. This paper has several aims: 􀁸 To discuss a dual understanding of social justice in terms of distribution and recognition, in recent work in studies of educational policy and practice. 􀁸 To discuss several illustrations, from the sociology of education, and from adult mathematics education, which support our position of emphasising social class and ethnicity as key dimensions of social justice, as well as gender. 􀁸 To argue, drawing on these illustrations, that researching the questions posed by a social justice agenda requires both 'quantitative' and 'qualitative' methodologies. 􀁸 To show that addressing questions of social justice allows a broader investigation of issues in the teaching and learning of adult mathematics (formal and informal), drawing for illustration on our analysis of images of mathematics in advertising. 2. A dual understanding of social justice The first, distributive facet of social justice focuses on the question of whether the individual (or social group) has (or has a

FAQs

How does the paper define social justice in relation to social relations?

It presents social justice as covering both distribution and recognition aspects of social relations. Distribution concerns allocation of goods and symbolic resources, while recognition concerns how society structures encounters through communication and respect.

Why does the paper go beyond gender to include social class and ethnicity?

It argues that attention to social class and ethnicity is crucial for fully understanding the structural and interactional dimensions carried by the concept of social justice.

What methodological approach does the paper recommend for researching social justice?

It argues that researching questions posed by a social justice agenda requires both quantitative and qualitative methods. It also highlights representation and power and discusses the usefulness of a hybrid methodology.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky