Using State Space Grids to Assess Patterns of Belonging Supports in Middle School Mathematics Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Student-Teacher Relationships in Diverse Contexts: Relationships, Relatedness, and Support

Abstract

Students of color face persistent threats to their belonging in U.S. schools and classrooms. Educators show increasing interest in belonging; however, they may have limited understanding of instructional practices to enhance belonging. Scholars propose unique dimensions of belonging-supportive actions, which are often studied in isolation. Yet, in practice, teachers may enact multiple dimensions at the same time. Using a novel data-visualization technique, State Space Grids, we modeled trajectories of the instructional and interpersonal supports for belonging across three highly effective educators. We identified patterns of belonging-supportive actions, in which teachers affirmed students’ perspectives and responded to students’ fear of wrongness with communal support. Findings serve as a practical resource for educators interested in supporting students of color in mathematics classrooms.

Authors

• XIAOYIN CHEN, University of Georgia - Athens

• DeLeon Gray, Black and Belonging

• Jamaal Matthews, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor