Exploring the Relationships of Mathematical Identity and Racial Identity of Adolescent Black Girls

• In Event: Reclaiming Educational Spaces for K–16 Black Students: Critical Race Theory as a Best Practice

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the co-construction of the mathematical and racial identities of middle school Black girls using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical lens. The phrase “racial achievement gap” has been used across the nation to compare achievement scores between Black students and their White and Asian peers for decades. Mainstream mathematics tends to view Black students inferior to their White and Asian counterparts which implies Black students must rise to the level of White and Asian students in order to have a strong and positive mathematics identity (Martin, 2009). This study challenges the social construction of the racial achievement gap by highlighting the positive mathematical experiences and performances of Black girls while also providing best practices to help middle school Black girls develop and shape their mathematical identities.

Theoretical Framework

CRT is often used to explore students of color experiences and to address issues of social inequities that generate controversies such as standardized testing, student tracking, and curriculum development (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). This work focuses on three of the six CRT tenets: (i) race as a social construct, which challenges the notion that society invents and manipulates the categories of race (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017); (ii) intersectionality, which explores the intersection of a person’s multiple identities such as race, gender, class, and systems of oppression (Crenshaw, 2018); and (iii) counter storytelling, which is the use of narratives that reveal experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups that challenges the dominant groups’ interpretation. Additionally, theories of mathematical identity (Martin, 2000) and racial identity (Sellers et al., 1998) were used to understand adolescent Black girls' mathematical and racial experiences.

Methods and Data Sources

A convergent parallel mixed methods study was used to understand the complexity of Black girls' lived mathematical and racial experiences without the restriction of one inquiry approach or single form of data (Creswell & Clark, 2017). Primary data sources included surveys, mathematical autobiographies, and semi-structured interviews. The following research question guided this study: How does mathematical identity and racial identity impact the mathematical experiences and STEM interest of middle school Black girls?
Findings
Three factors impacted the development of a positive mathematical identity of Black girls: informal STEM opportunities, defying racial-mathematical stereotypes, and social/community influences. Black girls’ participation in STEM related activities and educational opportunities for only Black girls or minority students supported the STEM interest of participants with a moderate to high mathematical identity. All participants responded that the underrepresentation of Black women in STEM is a challenge to combat any racial-mathematical stereotypes. Each girl agreed they could learn and understand math regardless of their academic performance in mathematics if provided the right conditions such as an encouraging teacher, simplicity in problem-solving, relevance, and external support.

Significance

This study examines the intersectionality of race, gender, and math ability from the Black adolescent female perspective. From their stories we can challenge the white and male dominant narratives that exist in mathematics education and promote positive development of mathematical identities among Black girls.

Author

• Brittney Black, North Carolina State University
  Presenting Author