“He’s Probably the Only Teacher I’ve Actually Learned From”: Marginalized Students’ Experiences With and Self-Perceptions of High School Mathematics

Oct 15, 2026

Understanding how marginalized students experience and perceive mathematics is critical for inclusive and equitable math pedagogy. This study reports on 67 focus groups with 251 predominantly Black high schoolers experiencing economic marginalization in the Southern United States, examining achievement levels and race-gender identities. Students raised concerns about teachers’ math knowledge and the ability to support academic success. Self-perceptions of math identities varied; many did not value advanced math despite career interests requiring it. Practical implications include centering Black girls’ needs and strengths.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Marginalized Students and High School Mathematics

Students’ perceptions and self-perceptions in math classrooms

American Educational Research Journal October 2024, Vol. 61, No. 5, pp. 915–952 DOI: 10.3102/00028312241266242 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions) 􀀂 2024 The Author(s) . [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aer](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/aer) ‘‘He’s Probably the Only Teacher I’ve Actually Learned From’’: Marginalized Students’Experiences With and Self-Perceptions of High School Mathematics Ashli-Ann Douglas WestEd Bethany Rittle-Johnson Vanderbilt University Rebecca Adler Vanderbilt University Adriana P. M´endez-Fern´andez University of Puerto Rico Claudell Haymond, Jr. Vanderbilt University Jamila Brandon Fisk University Kelley Durkin Vanderbilt University Understanding how marginalized students experience and perceive mathematics is critical to achieving the goal of inclusive and equitable math pedagogy. We report on 67 focus groups with 251 predominantly Black highschoolers experiencing economic marginalization in the Southern United States and attended to their achievement level and race-gender identities. Students often shared concerns about their teacher’s math knowledge for teaching and effectiveness in supporting academic success. Their selfperceptions of math identities varied, and students often did not value advanced math even when they expressed career interests that require advanced math. We discuss practical implications for supporting the math development of marginalized high schoolers, including centering the needs and strengths of Black girls, and propose an expanded inclusive and equitable pedagogical framework. KEYWORDS: Black education, equitable math instruction, inclusive math pedagogy, math identity development, mathematics Douglas et al. ‘‘The teacher doesn’t come and help you [but] helps others besides you.’’ ‘‘He pushes you. He doesn’t let you give up. He’s probably the only teacher I’ve actually learned from.’’ These quotes, the former by a Black boy enrolled in a general math course and the latter by a Black girl enrolled in an advanced math course, illustratethe range of students’ experiences in high school math classrooms drawn from focus groups conducted in a large, urban school district. Participants were predominantly Black and experiencing low income and economic marginalization; these student groups are often marginalized in schools and U.S. society. To achieve the goal of inclusive and equitable math pedagogy, we need to better understand how marginalized students experience and ASHLI-ANN DOUGLAS is a Research Associate II in mathematics education at WestEd and an alumna of Vanderbilt University, where she completed her PhD in the Department of Psychology and Human Development, 730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107; e-mail: [adougla@wested.org](adougla@wested.org. Her)[. Her](adougla@wested.org. Her) research focuses on evaluating educational programs as well as understanding and improving mathematics teaching, learning, and identity development in school, home, and other out-of-school settings. BETHANY RITTLE-JOHNSON is the Anita S. and Antonio M. Gotto Chair in Child Development and professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on mathematics learning and teaching from preschool through high school. REBECCA ADLER is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. Her research focuses on math learning and the roles of motivation and metacognition in math learning. ADRIANA P. M´ENDEZ-FERN´ANDEZ is currently a PhD student in clinical psychology at Binghamton University. While attending the University of Puerto Rico, she was an undergraduate research assistant at Vanderbilt through anNSFREU grant. Asa graduate student, she plans to conduct research on the contextual factors that influence aggression in the household of multiple communities, including unde

FAQs

What data and participants does the study use?

The study uses 67 focus groups with 251 predominantly Black high school students experiencing economic marginalization in the Southern United States.

What concerns do students report about their math teachers?

Students often express concerns about whether their teachers have sufficient math knowledge and whether teachers are effective at supporting students’ academic success.

How do students’ views of math identity affect their engagement?

Students’ self-perceptions of math identities vary, and students often do not value advanced math even when they express career interests that require advanced math.

Oct 15, 2026

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