Ethnomathematics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Cultural Preservation and Technological Advancement

Richmond Kakra Addae; Seth Amoako Atta; Hawa Adusei

doi:10.58421/misro.v5i4.1757

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58421/misro.v5i4.1757

Authors

Richmond Kakra Addae Catholic University of Ghana, Sunyani https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1767-9055
Seth Amoako Atta Catholic university of Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5085-0044
Hawa Adusei Valley View University, Accra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3672-2705

Keywords:

thnomathematics, Akan culture, Artificial intelligence, Culturally responsive pedagogy, Scoping review, Mathematics education

Abstract

This study maps and synthesises two adjacent bodies of literature—research on ethnomathematics and culturally responsive mathematics instruction focused on Akan cultural practices, and research on artificial intelligence (AI) in mathematics education—to propose a culturally responsive, AI-supported instructional framework for Ghanaian classrooms. A systematic scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and PRISMA 2020 flow conventions. Six databases were searched for records published between 2005 and 2025, supplemented by hand-searching. AI was operationalised broadly, from intelligent tutoring and adaptive learning systems to generative AI from late 2022 onwards. Of 612 records, 25 studies were retained for qualitative thematic synthesis. The synthesis indicates that kente weaving, Adinkra symbolism, market transactions, and drumming patterns encode mathematical ideas such as symmetry, proportion, sequence, and logical reasoning. The AI-focused studies, most of which predate generative AI, suggest that these tools can support personalised, interactive, and contextualised learning. No included study combines the two strands in the Akan context; this absence is a central finding and motivates the proposed framework. Blending ethnomathematics with AI is associated with greater cultural relevance, engagement, and conceptual clarity, although digitising Indigenous knowledge raises ethical questions of ownership, representation, and community consent.

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