"We Made Math!" Acknowledging Black Mothers as Supporters of Their Children's Mathematical Identities

• In Event: Dancing in the Rain and Weathering the Storm: Stories of Black Family Agency and Resistance

Abstract

Black parents are often presumed to be uninvolved in their children’s education (Latunde & Clark-Loque, 2016), especially in mathematics (Martin, 2006). Some have argued these stereotypes are sustained by white, middle class values that dominate parent engagement expectations (McGee & Spencer, 2015). This study challenges the dominant narrative by exploring the ways Black mothers support their elementary-aged children’s math identity. While scholars have taken interest in examining the role math identity plays in children’s mathematical success, few have examined the roles parents play in this identity development (Martin, 2006). Here, I ask: How do Black mothers support their children’s identities as mathematical learners?

Drawing on Martin’s (2000) mathematics identity framework, I define math identity as a student’s beliefs about: 1) their mathematical abilities, 2) the instrumental importance of mathematics, 3) constraints and opportunities to learn math, and 4) motivations and strategies used to learn mathematics. I also use the Racial Realist Parent Engagement (RRPE) theoretical framework (McCarthy Foubert, 2019) to examine how Black parents’ relationship with schools might impact math support approaches. Borrowing Derrick Bell’s notion of racial realism—which contends that race and racism are a permanent part of the structure of American society (Bell, 1991)—RRPE acknowledges anti-blackness inherent in school policy and expectations of parental engagement. For too long, Black children’s mathematics education has been hindered by discriminatory practices such as low teacher expectations (Copur-Gencturk et al. 2020) and tracking (McCardle, 2020). Black parents, in turn, have been blamed for their children’s mathematical ‘failures.’ Borrowing the RRPE framework, I argue that Black parents are not uninvolved in their children’s mathematics education. Rather, they navigate their children’s education based on their beliefs in the permanence of anti-Black racism in schools and broader society.

This qualitative, narrative inquiry (Bhattacharya, 2017) examines the ways eight Black mothers support their elementary-aged children’s math identity. I recruited participants using a snowball-sampling method (Noy, 2008), and collected data through semi-structured parent interviews, field notes recorded after two-hour family observations, and artifacts and photographs gathered during observations. I observed mothers and children during everyday activities (e.g., cooking, cleaning, and homework), asked about household routines, educational aspirations for their children, and math identity support in formal and informal contexts and reviewed pictures of activities, workbooks, and other materials parents offered as evidence of math support.
I first employed an open coding technique, followed by a second cycle of coding focused on the components of math identity (Martin, 2000).

Findings suggest that the Black mothers in this study supported their children’s mathematics identities using four approaches: 1) pragmatic (emphasizing financial literacy and basic life skills); 2) aspirational (promoting math-intensive careers); 3) affirmational (sharing words of encouragement); and 4) race-conscious (applying math concepts to teach about Black history and present-day anti-blackness). This study challenges deficit beliefs about Black parent engagement, offering evidence of their math identity support, and contributes to the limited body of research on math identity in young children.

Author

• Jahneille Cunningham, University of California - Los Angeles