Mathematics Identity and Sense of Belonging in Mathematics of Black Students Who Succeed in Community College Developmental Mathematics Courses

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Research on community college students tends to focus on their deficits and failures rather than assets and achievements. This narrative study focuses on African-American community college students and their remedial math achievements. Research questions addressed participants’ descriptions of their mathematics identity (Anderson, 2007; Bishop, 2012; Grant, Crompton, Ford, 2015; Grootenboer & Zevenbergen, 2007; Martin, 2000, 2007, 2009; Nasir & Saxe, 2003), factors that contributed to their success, and their perceptions of instructors’ and peers’ roles in their achievement. Mathematics identity is paired with sense of belonging in mathematics (Good, Rattan, Dweck, 2000) to create a New Mathematics Identity framework. Mathematics identity focuses on students’ perceptions of themselves as math doers and learners and sense of belonging in mathematics addresses feelings of membership and acceptance in math contexts. Using semi-structured interviews, responses to vignettes, college transcripts, and math educational history mapping, I explored students’ identities as math learners and the factors that shape their success in math. Findings show that the components of the New Mathematics Identity framework, instructor support, and participants’ academic and personal practices shape their success in remedial mathematics. Key supports include participants’ decisions to link math with financial success, respect for mathematics, study practices, prayer and religious faith, and their faculty’s social behaviors and instructional practices. Participants also discussed several obstacles, including the two languages spoken in the math classroom, racialized math experiences, and institutional inefficiences.

Author

• Maxine T. Roberts, University of Southern California