Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2023-4
The Relationship between Ninth Graders’ Perceptions of Teacher Equity and Their Math Identity: Differences by Student Race and School Racial Composition
Using data on ninth graders, math teachers, and schools from the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we investigate the following questions: (1) How do ninth graders’ perceptions of their math teachers as equitable relate to their math identity at the intersection of adolescents’ race and gender? and (2) Do differences in the percentage of students at the school who share the adolescent’s race moderate (i.e., differentiate) the salience of perceptions of math teachers for adolescents’ math identities? Our results suggest that adolescents who perceive their math teachers as equitable typically have higher levels of math identity regardless of their race or gender. Adolescents’ perceptions of their math teachers as equitable are most salient for adolescents’ math identity in racially diverse schools, where racial differences and stereotypes may be more visible. Findings also indicate the seeming resistance of Black youth to racist stereotypes, whose math identity remains high regardless of their perceptions of their teachers.
AndersenLoriWardThomas J.. 2014. “Expectancy-Value Models for the STEM Persistence Plans of Ninth-Grade, High-Ability Students.”Science Education98(2):216–42.
2.
Antrop-GonzálezRenéDe JesúsAnthony. 2006. “Toward a Theory of Critical Care in Urban Small School Reform.”International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education19(4):409–33.
3.
ArcherLouiseDeWittJenniferOsborneJonathanDillonJustinWillisBeatriceWongBilly. 2010. “‘Doing’ Science Versus ‘Being’ a Scientist.”Science Education94(4):617–39.
4.
BlalockJr.MHubert. 1967. Toward a Theory of Minority-Group Relations. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
5.
BroomsDerrick R.2017. “Black Otherfathering in the Educational Experiences of Black Males in a Single- Sex Urban High School.”Teachers College Record119(11):1–46.
6.
BroomsDerrick R.DavisArthur R.. 2017. “Staying Focused on the Goal.”Journal of Black Studies48(3):305–26.
7.
BroomsDerrick R.PerryArmon R.. 2016. “‘It’s Simply Because We’re Black Men.’”Journal of Men’s Studies24(2):166–84.
8.
BrownKarida L.2016. “The ‘Hidden Injuries’ of School Desegregation.”American Journal of Cultural Sociology4(1):196–220.
CechErinRubineauBrianSilbeySusanSeronCarroll. 2011. “Professional Role Confidence and Gendered Persistence in Engineering.”American Sociological Review76(5):641–66.
11.
ChapmanThandeka K.2014. “Is Integration a Dream Deferred?”The Journal of Negro Education83(3):311–26.
12.
ChingosMatthew M.PetersonPaul E.. 2011. “It’s Easier to Pick a Good Teacher Than to Train One.”Economics of Education Review30:449–65.
Copur-GencturkYaseminCimpianJoseph R.LubienskiSarah Theule. 2020. “Teachers’ Bias against the Mathematical Ability of Female, Black, and Hispanic Students.”Educational Researcher49(1):30–43.
15.
CrosnoeRobertJohnsonMonica KirkpatrickElder, Jr.Glen H.2004. “Intergenerational Bonding in School.”Sociology of Education77(1):60–81.
16.
DanceL. Janelle. 2002. Tough Fronts. New York, NY: Routledge.
17.
DesselAdrienne B.KulickAlexWernickLaura J.SullivanDaniel. 2017. “The Importance of Teacher Support.”Journal of Adolescence56:136–44.
18.
DiamondJohn B.2018. “Race and White Supremacy in the Sociology of Education.” Pp. 345–62 in Education in a New Society, edited by MehtaJ.DaviesS.. Chicago, IL: Chicago University Press.
19.
DreebenRobert. 1970. The Nature of Teaching. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.
20.
DupreyMichael A.PrattDaniel J.JewellDonna M.CominoleMelissa B.FritchLaura BurnsRitchieEthan A.RogersJames E.WescottJamie D.WilsonDavid H.. 2018. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) Base-Year to Second Follow-Up Data File Documentation (NCES 2018-140). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
21.
EcclesJacquelynne S.WigfieldAllan. 2002. “Motivational Beliefs, Values, and Goals.”Annual Review of Psychology53:109–32.
22.
FishRachel. 2017. “The Racialized Construction of Exceptionality.”Social Science Research62:317–34.
23.
GamoranAdam. 2016. “Gamoran Comment on Downey and Condron.”Sociology of Education89(3):231–33.
24.
GayGeneva. 2010. Culturally Responsive Teaching. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
25.
GoldsmithPat Antonio. 2004. “Schools’ Racial Mix, Students’ Optimism, and the Black-White and Latino-White Achievement Gaps.”Sociology of Education77(2):121–47.
26.
HaganJohnSheddCarlaPayneMonique R.. 2005. “Race, Ethnicity, and Youth Perceptions of Criminal Injustice.”American Sociological Review70:381–407.
27.
HajovskyDaniel B.MasonBenjamin A.McCuneLuke A.. 2017. “Teacher-Student Relationship Quality and Academic Achievement in Elementary School.”Journal of School Psychology63(1):119–33.
28.
HancockAnge-Marie. 2007. “When Multiplication Doesn’t Equal Quick Addition.”Perspectives on Politics5(1):63–79.
29.
HanselmanPaulBruchSarah K.GamoranAdamBormanGeoffrey D.. 2014. “Threat in Context.”Sociology of Education87(2):106–24.
30.
Hill CollinsPatricia. 2015. “Intersectionality’s Definitional Dilemmas.”Annual Review of Sociology41:1–20.
HollandMegan M.2012. “Only Here for the Day.”Sociology of Education85(2):101–20.
33.
HwangKwang-Kuo. 2006. “Moral Face and Social Face.”International Journal of Psychology41(4):276–81.
34.
IrelandDanyelle T.FreemanKimberley EdelinWinston-ProctorCynthia E.DeLaineKendra D.LoweStacey McDonaldWoodsonKamilah M.. 2018. “(Un)Hidden Figures.”Review of Research in Education42(1):226–54.
35.
Ispa-LandaSimoneConwellJordan. 2015. “‘Once You Go to a White School, You Kind of Adapt.’”Sociology of Education88(1):1–19.
36.
JacksonC. Kirabo. 2013. “Match Quality, Worker Productivity, and Worker Mobility.”The Review of Economics and Statistics95(4):1096–116.
37.
KellySeanZhangYuan. 2016. “Teacher Support and Engagement in Math and Science.”The High School Journal99(2):141–65.
38.
LeaperCampbellFarkasTimeaBrownChristia Spears. 2012. “Adolescent Girls’ Experiences and Gender-Related Beliefs in Relation to Their Motivation in Math/Science and English.”Journal of Youth and Adolescence41:268–82.
39.
LeeJihyun. 2009. “Universals and Specifics of Math Self-Concept, Math Self-Efficacy, and Math Anxiety Across 41 PISA 2003 Participating Countries.”Learning and Individual Differences19(3):355–65.
40.
LeungFrederick K. S.2002. “Behind the High Achievement of East Asian Students.”Educational Research and Evaluation8(1):87–108.
41.
LewisAmanda E.DiamondJohn B.. 2015. Despite the Best Intentions. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
42.
LiskaAllen E.1992. Social Threat and Social Control. Albany: State University of New York Press.
43.
LoganJohn R.MincaElisabetaAdarSinem. 2012. “The Geography of Inequality.”Sociology of Education85(3):287–301.
44.
LopezNancy. 2003. Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys. New York, NY: Routledge.
45.
MacKinnonCatharine A.2013. “Intersectionality as Method: A Note.”Intersectionality: Theorizing Power, Empowering Theory38(4):1019–30.
46.
MarshHerbert W.HauKit-Tai. 2003. “Big-Fish- Little-Pond Effect on Academic Self-Concept.”American Psychologist58(5):364–76.
47.
MartinDanny Bernard. 2009. “Researching Race in Mathematics Education.”Teachers College Record111(2):295–338.
48.
MartinDanny Bernard. 2012. “Learning Mathematics While Black.”Educational Foundations26(1–2):47–66.
49.
MartinDanny Bernard. 2019. “Equity, Inclusion, and Antiblackness in Mathematics Education.”Race Ethnicity and Education22(4):459–78.
50.
MartinDanny BernardPricePaula GrovesMooreRoxanne. 2019. “Refusing Systemic Violence against Black Children.” Pp. 32–55 in Critical Race Theory in Mathematics Education, edited by DavisJ.JettC.. London: Routledge.
51.
MartinezSylviaGuzmanStephanie. 2013. “Gender and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Self-Reported Levels of Engagement in High School Math and Science Courses.”Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences35(3):407–27. doi:10.1177/0739986313495495.
52.
MazzaGina L.EndersCraig K.RuehlmanLinda S.. 2015. “Addressing Item-Level Missing Data: A Comparison of Proration and Full Information Maximum Likelihood Estimation.”Multivariate Behavioral Research50(5):504–19.
53.
McCallLeslie. 2005. “The Complexity of Intersectionality.”Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society30(3):1771–800.
54.
McCormickMeghan P.O’ConnorErin E.CappellaEliseMcClowrySandee G.. 2013. “Teacher- Child Relationships and Academic Achievement.”Journal of School Psychology51(5):611–24.
55.
McGeeEbony O.MartinDanny B.. 2011. “‘You Would Not Believe What I Have to Go through to Prove My Intellectual Value!’”American Educational Research Journal48(6):1347–89.
56.
McGradyPatrick B.ReynoldsJohn R.. 2013. “Racial Mismatch in the Classroom.”Sociology of Education86(1):3–17.
57.
McKinney de RoystonMaxineMadkinsTia C.GivensJarvis R.NasirNa’ilah Suad. 2021. “‘I’m a Teacher, I’m Gonna Always Protect You’: Understanding Black Educators’ Protection of Black Children.”American Educational Research Journal58(1):68–106.
58.
McNairTia BrownBensimonEstela MaraMalcom-PiqueuxLindsey. 2020. From Equity Talk to Equity Walk. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
59.
MedfordMarcelle M.2019. “Racialization and Black Multiplicity.”Sociology Compass13(7):e12717. doi:10.1111/soc4.12717.
60.
MesterDana C.SpruillSherill A.GianiJosephMoroteElsa- SofiaInserraAlbert. 2015. “Personal Safety and Teacher/Student Relationships Viewed through Black/White Framework in a Suburban Middle School.”Journal for Leadership and Instruction14(1):15–19.
61.
MickelsonRoslyn Arlin. 1990. “The Attitude-Achievement Paradox among Black Adolescents.”Sociology of Education63:44–61.
62.
MickelsonRoslyn ArlinBottiaMartha CeciliaLambertRichard. 2013. “Effects of School Racial Composition on K-12 Mathematics Outcomes.”Review of Educational Research83(1):121–58.
63.
MorrisEdward W.PerryBrea L.. 2016. “The Punishment Gap.”Social Problems63(1):68–86.
64.
MorrisEdward W.PerryBrea L.. 2017. “Girls Behaving Badly?”Sociology of Education90(2):127–48. doi:10.1177/0038040717694876.
65.
MortonKarismaRiegle-CrumbCatherine. 2020. “Is School Racial/Ethnic Composition Associated with Content Coverage in Algebra?”Educational Researcher49(6):441–47.
66.
MustoMichela. 2019. “Brilliant or Bad: The Gendered Social Construction of Exceptionalism in Early Adolescence.”American Sociological Review84(3):369–93.
67.
National Center for Education Statistics. 2020. Race and Ethnicity of Public School Teachers and Their Students (NCES 2020-103). Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
68.
OeurFreeden Blume. 2018. Black Boys Apart. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
69.
PaikSusan J.2004. “Korean and US Families, Schools, and Learning.”International Journal of Educational Research41(1):71–90.
70.
ParksAmy NoelleSchmeichelMardi. 2012. “Obstacles to Addressing Race and Ethnicity in the Mathematics Education Literature.”Journal for Research in Mathematics Education43(3):238–52.
71.
PerryPamela. 2002. Shades of White. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
72.
PhillippoKateOsberJerushaDavidsonShannonPopeDenise. 2017. “A Systematic Review of Student Self-Report Instruments That Assess Student- Teacher Relationships.”Teachers College Record119(9):1–42.
73.
PortillaXimena A.BallardParissa J.AdlerNancy E.BoyceW. ThomasObradovicJelena. 2014. “An Integrative View of School Functioning.”Child Development85(5):1915–31.
74.
QuillianLincolnCampbellMary. 2003. “Class, Race, and School Racial Composition in the Formation of Interracial Friendships.”American Sociological Review68(4):540–66.
75.
RasheedDamira S.BrownJoshua L.DoyleSebrina L.JenningsPatricia A.. 2020. “The Effect of Teacher-Child Race/Ethnicity Matching and Classroom Diversity on Children’s Socioemotional and Academic Skills.”Child Development91(3):e597–618.
76.
RayRanita. 2018. The Making of a Teenage Service Class. Oakland: University of California Press.
77.
ReddingChristopher. 2019. “A Teacher like Me: A Review of the Effect of Student-Teacher Racial/Ethnic Matching on Teacher Perceptions of Students and Student Academic and Behavioral Outcomes.”Review of Educational Research89(4):499–535.
78.
ReddyRanjiniRhodesJean E.MulhallPeter. 2003. “The Influence of Teacher Support on Student Adjustment in the Middle School Years.”Development and Psychopathology15(1):119–38.
79.
RenzulliLinda. 2014. “Educational Transformations and Why Sociology Should Care.”Social Currents1(2):149–56.
80.
Riegle-CrumbCatherineKingBarbara. 2010. “Questioning a White Male Advantage in STEM: Examining Disparities in College Major.”Educational Researcher39(9):656–64.
81.
Riegle-CrumbCatherineMooreChelseaRamos-WadaAida. 2011. “Who Wants to Have a Career in Science or Math?”Science Education95(3):458–76.
82.
Riegle-CrumbCatherineMortonKarisma. 2017. “Gendered Expectations.”Frontiers in Psychology8:329. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00329.
83.
Rimm-KaufmanSara E.BaroodyAlison E.LarsenRoss A. A.CurbyTimothy W.AbryTashia. 2015. “To What Extent Do Teacher-Student Interaction Quality and Student Gender Contribute to Fifth Graders’ Engagement in Mathematics Learning?”Journal of Educational Psychology107(1):170–85.
84.
RochaRene R.HawesDaniel P.. 2009. “Racial Diversity, Representative Bureaucracy, and Equity in Multiracial School Districts.”Social Science Quarterly90(2):326–44.
85.
RoordaDebora L.KoomenHelma M. Y.SpiltJantine L.OortFrans J.. 2011. “The Influence of Affective Teacher-Student Relationships on Students’ School Engagement and Achievement.”Review of Educational Research81(4):493–529.
86.
RosaJonathan. 2019. Looking like a Language, Sounding like a Race. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
87.
RudasillKathleen MoritzGonshakAmy B.PosselPatrickNicholsAndrewStipanovicNatalie. 2013. “Assessments of Student-Teacher Relationships in Residential Treatment Center Schools.”Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk18(3–4):193–211.
ScherzZahavaOrenMiri. 2006. “How to Change Students’ Images of Science and Technology.”Science Education90(6):965–85.
90.
SchneiderBarbaraGroganErinMaierAdam. 2011. “Improving Teacher Quality.” Pp. 163–80 in Frontiers in Sociology of Education, Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research. Vol. 1, edited by HallinanM. T.. Cham, the Netherlands: Springer.
91.
SharkeyNancy S.GoldhaberDan. 2008. “Teacher Licensure Status and Student Achievement.”Economics of Education Review27:504–16.
92.
ShifrerDara. 2018. “Clarification of the Social Roots of the Disproportionate Labeling of Racial Minorities and Males with Learning Disabilities.”The Sociological Quarterly59(3):384–406.
93.
ShifrerDaraFishRachel E.. 2020. “A Multilevel Investigation into Contextual Reliability in the Designation of Cognitive Health Conditions among U.S. Children.”Society and Mental Health10(2):180–97.
94.
ShifrerDaraMackin FreemanDaniel. 2021. “Problematizing Perceptions of STEM Potential.”Socius7. doi:10.1177/2378023121998116.
95.
ShinJonghoLeeHyunjooKimYongnam. 2009. “Student and School Factors Affecting Mathematics Achievement.”School Psychology International30(5):520–37.
96.
SolorzanoDaniel G.OrnelasArmida. 2004. “A Critical Race Analysis of Latino/a and African American Advanced Placement Enrollment in Public High Schools.”The High School Journal87(3):15–26.
97.
SpiltJantineHughesJan N.. 2015. “African American Children at Risk of Increasingly Conflicted Teacher-Student Relationships in Elementary School.”School Psychology Review44(3):246–61.
98.
SteeleJennifer R.AmbadyNalini. 2006. “‘Math Is Hard!”Journal of Experimental Social Psychology42(4):428–36.
99.
TaylorKeeanga-Yamahtta. 2016. From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books.
100.
TrumbullElisePachecoMaria. 2005. Leading with Diversity. Providence, RI: The Education Alliance at Brown University.
101.
TurnerJulianne C.ChristensenAndreaKackar-CamHayal Z.TrucanoMegFulmerSara M.. 2014. “Enhancing Students’ Engagement.”American Educational Research Journal51(6):1195–226.
102.
TysonKarolyn. 2011. Integration Interrupted. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
103.
TysonKarolynDarityWilliamCastellinoDomini R.. 2005. “It’s Not ‘A Black Thing.’”American Sociological Review70(4):582–605.
104.
TysonWillRoksaJosipa. 2016. “How Schools Structure Opportunity.”Research in Social Stratification and Mobility44(1):124–35.
105.
ValenzuelaAngela. 1999. Subtractive Schooling. Albany: State University of New York.
106.
WelchKellyPayneAllison Ann. 2018. “Latino/a Student Threat and School Disciplinary Policies and Practices.”Sociology of Education91(2):91–110.
107.
WhiteIan R.RoystonPatrickWoodAngela M.. 2011. “Multiple Imputation Using Chained Equations.”Statistics in Medicine30(4):377–99.
108.
WilkinsonLindseyShifrerDaraPearsonJennifer. 2021. “Educational Outcomes of Gender Diverse Youth.”Gender & Society35(5):806–37.
109.
YarnellLisa M.BohrnstedtGeorge W.. 2018. “Student-Teacher Racial Match and Its Association with Black Student Achievement.”American Educational Research Journal55(2):287–324.
110.
YoshinoAsako. 2012. “The Relationship between Self-Concept and Achievement in TIMSS 2007.”International Review of Education58(2):199–219.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
