“What’s Math Got to Do with It?” Emphasizing Math as an Impediment to STEM Excellence for Black Students

Bibliographic Data

ID22043761
AuthorsKirk D Rogers (0000-0003-4097-6297, San Bernardino Valley College, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume14
Issue8
Pages855
Publication date2024-08-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci14080855
OpenAlexW4401390021
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited89

Drawing on Martin’s Multilevel Framework for Analyzing Mathematics Socialization and Identity Among African Americans this study explores the mechanisms that influence Black students’ decision-making processes related to math course taking in high school. Three years of student transcript data for 1561 Black seniors in a Southern California school district were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses in STATA. The findings reveal factors that impact students’ ability and desire to complete a fourth year of math in high school, interconnected with institutional, structural, identity, and parental factors. One such finding is that accelerated 8th-grade math placement significantly increases the likelihood that a student would enroll in upper-level math coursework, such as “Beyond IM3” courses in high school. The researcher also investigated the influence of the concentration of Black math teachers in a school on the likelihood of a Black student enrolling in a Beyond IM3 math course. The results of this study contribute to an understanding of the limited racial diversity in STEM fields, highlighting the role of math as a major deterrent for Black students’ interest and persistence in STEM. The findings suggest the need for policy and curriculum changes to promote equitable access to advanced math coursework for Black students, especially in the 8th grade. This study also emphasizes the need to address the structural and institutional factors that influence Black students’ decision-making processes related to math course taking in high school

Advanced Placement · African american · Coursework · Curriculum · Descriptive statistics · Excellence · Historically black colleges and universities · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Sociology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Mathematics · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · School Choice and Performance

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