Fostering Equitable Math Learning Classrooms Through NICs: Middle School Students’ Perspectives

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Abstract

Networked improvement communities (NICs) create collaborative and supportive spaces for teachers toward promoting equitable opportunities for all students to develop positive mathematical identities. Yet students’ experiences as main stakeholders remain underexamined (Boaler, 2000). Guided by socio-cognitive perspective, this study explores how middle-school students perceive mindset, joyful engagement, belonging, and rigor, following NIC-based teacher professional development. MANOVA analyses show significant group-level variance by race, gender, grade, and NIC participation. Black students and students-of-color reported lower positive mindset and classroom belonging than White peers; females reported greater joyful engagement, males had higher positive mindset; younger grades (6th/7th grade) reported higher scores across most areas; NIC classrooms showed better experiences, except for belonging. Results underscore the need for culturally responsive, holistic NIC-based interventions.

Authors

• Pallavi Chhabra, Washington University in St. Louis

• Jennifer Burris, University of Kentucky

• Mitchelle M Wambua, Washington University in St. Louis

• Rachel Ruggirello, Washington University in St. Louis

• Alison Brockhouse, Washington University in St. Louis