| An important phenomenon has been observed in New York City public high schools---that recent Caribbean immigrant students who attend school on a regular basis in their native country, tend to outperform their African American counterparts. The researcher, in his quest to improve the mathematics achievement of all New York City school children, especially struggling Black children, was motivated to conduct this research to determine if useful principles, techniques and/or strategies might emerge from a comparison of the two systems of math education. What were the strengths of each system, and how could they be used more effectively in service of the needs of mathematics students were the guiding questions for the study.;More specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate the different approaches to teaching and learning mathematics in and between the English-speaking Caribbean and the New York City public schools. This was done through an exploration of the lived experiences of recent Caribbean immigrant students and New York City mathematics teachers from the Caribbean. A qualitative study involving semi-structured in-depth interviews with eight immigrant Caribbean students and ten mathematics teachers from the Caribbean, who are currently teaching in New York City, was conducted to address the research questions posed. A phenomenological approach was taken whereby the participants' perceptions and experiences formed the primary source of knowledge.;Data included face-to-face, in-depth taped and transcribed interviews, and hand written interviewer notes. An analysis and synthesis of the interview data was conducted using the NVivo qualitative research software, which resulted in the emergence of 11 core themes. The themes were as follows: discipline, corporal punishment, the mathematics curriculum, NCTM standards, math fundamentals, assessments/homework, teacher effectiveness, racism/discrimination in the United States, transitioning, social adjustment, and where best to rear children.;Results of the data analysis were revealed as recommendations as to form and structure of teaching pedagogy and the classroom. The results were surprising in some respects, but to a great degree, focused on the presence of a strong, strict, highly competent math teacher with high expectations for performance, and behavior, along with a highly effective set of reinforcement strategies to use when teacher expectations were not met. |
