Understanding the Impact of Racial Attitudes on Preservice Teachers' Ratings of Children's Mathematical Thinking

• In Event: Access and Identity in Math Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The field knows little about how race impacts preservice teachers’ (PSTs) perceptions of students’ mathematical competences. However, given the myth of a racial hierarchy of mathematics ability (Martin, 2009), if PSTs internalize this, it could lead to biased racial attitudes and behaviors towards African American students. This study used a survey with two matched classroom videos to assess the ways in which PSTs’ racial attitudes impact their perceptions of mathematics thinking. One video was in a predominantly African American classroom and the other a white classroom, controlling for student thinking and mathematics. The results show that biased racial attitudes, low MKT, and less proximity to African American communities predicted higher ratings of competence for whites over their African American peers.

Authors

• Dan Battey, Rutgers University

• Corey M. Webel, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Tonya Bartell, Michigan State University

• Amanda E Lowry, Rutgers University