| Achievement gap language has become associated with the observed disparities on a number of educational measures between the academic performances of Black and White students. This theoretical lens is problematic because it sends an unintended message that Black students are not worthy of study in their own right. Using a mixed-methodological approach, this study aimed to respond to the call of math educator Gutierrez (2008) who urges education researchers to "move away from gap gazing and toward more contextualized and intervention studies" (p. 362). Chapter 2 offers a socio-historical perspective to illuminate the evidence of Blacks' limited access both to mathematics as a discipline of study and a career path. A gap in the literature on the history of math education of Blacks exists, thus Tolley's (2003) seminal study on the factors that influenced the study of math and science for European girls (1840s to 1950s) is used to generate hypotheses about what factors might contribute or inhibit math participation and achievement of Blacks. Chapter 3 identifies four contemporary factors and closes with a concept map combining all eight factors. Along with the historical analysis, 69 student surveys and 12 in-depth interviews provided robust data that revealed an additional four factors---personality style, teacher- student relationships, motivation, and human agency. This study defined success broadly to include not only test scores, but persistence, course-taking patterns, fulfilling college admission requirements, and positive math identities. A mathematical model is put forth as a different way to think about math achievement for Black students schooled in the U.S. The model helps us to understand that Black students' math achievement can be viewed as a summation of a group of factors that are a part of what I call a micro and macro socio- historical background. |
