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Promotive and Corrosive Factors in African American Students’ Math Beliefs and Achievement

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Abstract

Framed by expectancy-value theory (which posits that beliefs about and the subjective valuation of a domain predict achievement and decision-making in that domain), this study examined the relationships among teacher differential treatment and relevant math instruction on African American students’ self-concept of math ability, math task value, and math achievement. These questions were examined by applying structural equation modeling to 618 African American youth (45.6 % female) followed from 7th to 11th grade in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. While controlling for gender and prior math achievement, relevant math instruction promoted and teacher differential treatment corroded students’ math beliefs and achievement over time. Further, teacher discrimination undermined students’ perceptions of their teachers, a mediating process under-examined in previous inquiry. These findings suggest policy and practice levers to narrow opportunity gaps, as well as foster math achievement and science, technology, engineering and math success.

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Acknowledgments

The first and fourth authors were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (#110878), awarded to PIs Jacquelynne S. Eccles and Oksana Malanchuk. Thank you to Allison Ryan for her helpful and insightful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Author Contributions

MD conceived of the study, coordinated and conducted data analyses, and coordinated writing; AM conducted data analyses, contributed to the conceptual framework and to writing; SM contributed to the conceptual framework and to writing; OM contributed to writing and interpretation of analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Room 4120, School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Matthew A. Diemer

  2. Combined Program in Education and Psychology, Educational Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Matthew A. Diemer, Aixa D. Marchand & Sarah E. McKellar

  3. Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Matthew A. Diemer & Oksana Malanchuk

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  1. Matthew A. Diemer
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  2. Aixa D. Marchand
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  3. Sarah E. McKellar
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  4. Oksana Malanchuk
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Correspondence to Matthew A. Diemer.

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This research was approved by the human subjects review board at the University of Michigan.

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Informed consent is not applicable to this secondary analysis of publicly available data, the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS).

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Diemer, M.A., Marchand, A.D., McKellar, S.E. et al. Promotive and Corrosive Factors in African American Students’ Math Beliefs and Achievement. J Youth Adolescence 45, 1208–1225 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0439-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0439-9

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