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Journal of African American
Males in Education
Feb/Mar 2011- Vol. 2 Issue 1
Counter Narratives: Examining the
Mathematics and Racial Identities of Black
Boys who are Successful with School
Mathematics
Robert Q. Berry, III* Kateri Thunder Oren L. McClain
University of Virginia University of Virginia University of Virginia
* Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Robert Q. Berry, III. Email: robertberry@virginia.edu
This study investigated the mathematics and racial identities of Black 5th through 7th
grade boys who attend school in a southern rural school division. The data pool
consisted of focus group interviews, mathematics autobiographies, review of academic
records, and observations. Four factors positively contributed to mathematics identity:
(a) the development of computational fluency by third grade, (b) extrinsic recognitions,
(c) relational connections, and (d) engagement with the unique qualities of
mathematics. For these boys, racial identity in school is connected to perceptions of
others’ school engagement; this sense of “otherness” lead to a redefinition of their
own mathematics and racial identities.
Successful Black boys in school mathematics receives little attention in the research
literature, while there is a vast amount of literature that describes the academic achievement and
schooling experiences of Black boys in terms of failure (Thompson & Lewis, 2005). The
underachievement and low-level course enrollment patterns of Black boys is well documented
in the literature. However, there are Black boys who stand in opposition to the literature that
documents their failure and underachievement. Black boys‟ mathematics identities are shaped
by culture, community, and experiences with mathematics (Berry, 2003 & 2008). The
development of a positive mathematics identity is essential towards helping boys sustain an
interest in mathematics and develop persistence with mathematics. Examining the perceptions
of successful Black boys is critical to identifying the strengths, skills, and significant factors that
promote their success. This paper discusses the academic constructs of mathematics and racial
identities among thirty-two Black 5th through 7th grade boys who are considered successful in
school mathematics as measured by high pass rates on the state standardized mathematics
assessments and above average grades in mathematics.
Counter Narratives
Review of Literature
African American Boys: Stories of Success
Much of the literature on closing the achievement gap in mathematics positions Black
students as being deficit, underachievers, possessing inferior abilities when compared to White
and Asian peers (Ladson-Billing & Tate 1995; Moses-Snipes & Snipes, 2005; Oakes, 1995;
Reyes & Stanic, 1988; Tate, 1997). Implicit in the calls for closing the achievement gap are the
suggestions that if Black students are to become more proficient and high achievers they must be
more like White and Asian students in terms of their dispositions and values (Martin 2009).
Martin (2007) argues that existing literature has juxtaposed “African American status,
underachievement, and marginal participation” to create what Giroux, Lankshear, McLaren, and
Peters (1996) call a master narrative. Stanley (2007) defined a master narrative as a script that
specifies and controls how some social processes are carried out. Master narratives embody and
dictate expectations about how things work and how stories are framed. Often, master narratives
present contrasts between groups of people by advantaging dominant groups and disadvantaging
members of marginal groups such as women and people of color. There is a master narrative
operating in the mathematics literature that focuses on the achievement gap by positioning
African American learners as being deficit and positioning White and Asian students as the
standard of high status for achievement in mathematics. Master narratives have driven the
discussions in mathematics literature focusing on the achievement gap by using standardized
achievement test scores to make comparisons of groups of students to invoke race as a
categorical variable that assumes casual relationship (Martin, 2007). The constant depictions of
African Americans as deficient mathematics learners has crafted images that failure is normative
with respect to African American mathematics learners (Johnson, 1984; Ladson-Billing & Tate
1995; Martin, 2000, 2005, 2009b; Moses-Snipes & Snipes, 2005).
Counter narratives are perspectives that run opposite or counter to the presumed order
and control (Stanley, 2007). These narratives arise out of the experiences of individuals or
groups that do not fit and are often critical of the master narratives. Counter narratives present
alternatives to the dominant discourse and act to deconstruct the master narratives (Stanley
2007). They, for example, challenge the dominant discourse in the mathematics literature that
hold African American students‟ mathematics achievement as deficient and White and Asian
students‟ mathematics achievement as the standard for success. Counter narratives provide
alternative lenses of analyses and interpretations of the experiences of African American students
as mathematics learners. Few stories have been told of African American students that have
achieved success in school mathematics (Berry, 2003).
Several researchers provide counter narratives that challenge the master narratives
concerning the achievement and the mathematics education experiences of African American
boys (e.g. Berry, 2003, 2008; Hrabowski, Maton, & Greif, 1998; Lattimore, 2005; Martin, 2006;
McGlamery & Mitchell, 2000; Stinson, 2006; Thompson & Lewis, 2005). Berry (2008) focused
on the experiences of eight African American boys in middle school and examined how these
boys gain access to upper level mathematics in an environment that is often in opposition to them
being successful. Berry (2008) reported five themes in his work: (a) positive early educational
experiences with schooling and mathematics, (b) recognition of mathematics abilities by being
placed in a high tracked mathematics group, (c) families serving as guardians of opportunities,
standards setters, and as mathematics resource, (d) positive mathematics and academic identities,
© 2011 Berry, Thunder & McClain 11
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION
and (e) alternative identities related to co-curricular, sports, and religious activities. Thompson
and Lewis (2005) investigated how one African American male, concerned that he would not
have a sufficient background in mathematics for his career interest, successfully lobbied his
principal to have a Pre-Calculus/Calculus course offered at his school. They reported that their
participant wanted to be a role model for younger kids, combat negative images of African
American males and had goals of attending college. Additionally, they reported that he had a
positive self-image towards mathematics.
McGlamery and Mitchell (2000) studied the recruiting and retention of African American
young men into predominately White upper level mathematics classes and reported that the
young men who were successful had teachers with whom they developed a rapport that allowed
them to be active participants in the classroom. This rapport allowed for positive student-teacher
interactions, allowed the students to ask higher-level questions, and supported positive
interaction among students. McGlamery and Mitchell (2000) also reported that cohort grouping
allowed the African American boys to develop a positive academic and social group in which to
belong.
Hrabowski et al. (1998) investigated the mathematical experiences of African American
men who were high-achieving students enrolled in programs of study in the fields of
mathematics and/or science at a major university and reported that these men benefited from
exposure to advanced mathematics courses, surrounded themselves with academically motivated
peers, were positively influenced by their mathematics teachers, and participated in special
school-based organizations in mathematics and science. Stinson (2006) examined three discourse
clusters (discourse of deficiency, discourse of rejection, and discourse of achievement) to
understand the mathematics experiences of African American male adolescents. Stinson suggest
that the discourse of achievement is necessary when developing education theories and
classroom practices that assist in eradicating the mathematics achievement gap. These studies
provide much needed insights into the lives of African American boys, specifically how their
experiences shape them and how they enacted agency to achieve success. However, more work
is needed in relation to how these students develop such successful identities.
Identities
Academic identity is not formed in isolation from other identities (Murrell, 2007). Thus,
mathematics identity and racial identity are not formed in isolation of each other (Martin, 2007).
Martin argues, for African American learners of mathematics, their mathematics identities and
racial identities are co-constructed due to the racism and the raced experience they encounter
throughout their mathematics education. Nasir (2002) has looked at how African American
males learn mathematics through out of school experiences and how those experiences help to
facilitate the development of identities, goals, and learning. Berry and McClain (2009) found
three overlapping components that contributed to the development of a positive mathematics
identity: (a) motivation to succeed in mathematics; (b) strong beliefs in their mathematical
ability; and (c) caring mathematics teachers. Additionally, Berry and McClain (2009) found that
parents of Black boys engaged in racial socialization practices designed to help their sons‟
manage in a world where racial prejudice and discrimination are likely to be aimed at them. The
boys received explicit messages about racism and messages of expectations concerning high
levels of mathematics and academic achievement. Martin‟s (2007) work provides a critical
framework for examining the complex nature of how race and racism influence the mathematics
Counter Narratives
educational experiences of African American children and adults. Martin has sought to
understand how African American students construct identities in the contexts of being African
Americans and as doers of mathematics.
Nasir, McLaughlin, and Jones‟ (2009) reviewed the research on the relations between
racial identities of Black students and school related outcomes to find that the literature indicated
three conflicting findings. First, findings indicated that when students hold strong identities as
Blacks, their academic achievement suffers and/or academic identification decreases (Fordham,
1996; Noguera, 2003; Osborne, 1997). Second, other findings indicated the opposite of the first
finding suggesting that racial identity is a protective factor for education for Blacks and serves as
a buffer for racial discrimination (Chavous et al., 2003; Oyserman, Harrison, & Bybee, 2001;
Sellers, Copeland-Linder, Martin, & Lewis, 2006; Wong, Eccles, Sameroff, 2003; Wright, 2009).
The third finding suggested that there is no linear relationship between racial identity and
academic outcomes for Black students and that it varies depending on the nature of Black
identity (Carter 2005; Chavous et al., 2003, Harper & Tuckerman, 2006; Sellers, Chavous, &
Cooke, 1998). Nasir, McLaughlin and Jones (2009) offered two explanations for these mixed
findings: (1) researchers have used various definitions of racial identities; consequently, this lack
of consensus may contribute to differential findings; (2) difference in racial identity is
constructed in local contexts; thus being Black in a southern rural town may be different than
being Black in a large urban city.
Theoretical Framework
Martin (2009) contends that mathematics learning and participation should be
conceptualized as “racialized forms of experience” that are structured by the relations of race
that exist in the larger society (Martin, 2009; p. 299). Martin contends that conceptualizing
mathematics as racialized forms of experience situates issues of identity and agency as central to
understanding how students make sense of, and respond to, their mathematical experiences.
Martin‟s (2009) framework that contrast approaches to race in mathematics education research,
policy, and practice is the theoretical framework. The paper considers two conceptualizations of
Martin‟s framework: conceptualization of race and conceptualization of learners. The
conceptualization of race focuses on race as a sociopolitical construction that is historically
contingent and considers race and racism. That is, understanding the mathematical stories of
African American learners we must give considerations to the construction of race and racism
and how it plays out in these learners‟ contexts. Conceptualization of learners considers the
negotiated nature of identity with respect to mathematics by asking, “What does it mean to be
Black in the context of mathematics learning?” We must consider that Black students in urban
contexts have different experiences than Black students in rural contexts. We sought to
understand how Black boys conceptualized race in the context of learning mathematics and how
they negotiated their identities as learners of mathematics. This study defined mathematics
identity as one‟s belief about (a) their ability to do mathematics, (b) the significance of
mathematical knowledge, (c) the opportunities and barriers to enter mathematics fields, and (d)
the motivation and persistence needed to obtain mathematics knowledge (Martin, 2007).
This study investigated the constructions of mathematics and racial identities among
Black1 boys who are considered successful in school mathematics as measured by high pass rates
on the state standardized mathematics assessments and above average grades in mathematics.
The boys attend public school in a school division where Black students are 12% of the student
© 2011 Berry, Thunder & McClain 13
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION
population. The school division serves a primarily rural to suburban population. Consequently, it
is plausible to consider that these boys‟ identities are constructed in a largely White rural to
suburban community. In many cases, these boys are the only Black student in their mathematics
class or one of very few. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate
mathematics identity development of Black boys and explore how racial identity interacts with
mathematics identity. Three research questions guided this study:
1. How do Black 5th through 7th grade boys who are considered successful in school
mathematics construct their mathematics identities?
2. How do Black 5th through 7th grade boys who are considered successful in school
mathematics construct their racial identities within the context of learning mathematics in
a rural school division?
3. What is the relationship between construction of mathematics identities and racial
identities amongst Black 5th through 7th grade boys who are considered successful in
school mathematics?
Methodology
Participants
The participant pool consisted of 32 rising fifth through seventh grade Black boys who
participated in a two-week summer program focusing on algebraic reasoning and problem
solving. Thirteen rising seventh graders, twelve rising sixth graders, and seven rising fifth
graders attended the summer program in which they were the only attendees. The boys were
selected for the program based on their potential for placement or their current placement in
advanced mathematics courses. All of the boys earned or were close to an “advance pass”
designation on the state standardized test.
Data Collection
For this study, we employed focus group interviews, boys‟ mathematics autobiographies,
review of documents (grades, test scores, and teachers comments), and observations. The
purpose of the focus group interviews was to gain insights into the boys‟ experiences and
perceptions. Twenty-three boys participated in one of three focus group interviews (six boys per
focus group) that lasted about 45 minutes. A focus group protocol was used to maintain
consistency across all groups. All focus group interviews were video-recorded and transcribed.
The purpose of the mathematics autobiography was to engage the boys in thinking about their
experiences with school mathematics, documented important mathematical milestones, and gain
a sense of how the boys perceive themselves as learners of mathematics. The boys‟ student
records (courses, grades, standardized test scores, teacher comments, and exceptionality status)
were reviewed for placement in the summer program, to get a sense of the boys‟ mathematical
history, and to verify previously collected data. Informal daily observations during the two-week
summer program provided insights into the boys‟ interactions with their peers and with their
teacher.
Counter Narratives
Data Analysis
Analysis occurred after the two-week summer program because the authors were also the
instructors of the summer program. The video-recording was transcribed and copies of the
mathematics autobiographies were made so that memoing could occur within the transcription
and the mathematics autobiographies. Memoing allowed the authors to do initial coding. The
codes used during the memoing came from the literature. For each code, definitions were created
so the codes could be consistently used throughout the analysis of data. Once initial coding was
completed, the data was reread and re-coded to verify the initial coding, and to assure
consistency. After this, the database was sorted by codes then reread and re-coded. At this point,
we looked for themes within each section (code) to see if there were dimensions that required the
data to be further discriminated. Through this process, themes emerged from the data. From this
categorization and classification of the data, we described the findings.
Findings
Three themes arose from the data and are presented according to the three research
questions: (a) construction of their mathematics identities, (b) construction of their racial
identities, and (c) the relationship between these two processes to redefine their own racial and
mathematics identities. Four factors positively contributed to mathematics identities: (a) the
development of computational fluency by third grade, (b) extrinsic recognition in the form of
grades, standardized test scores, tracking, and gifted identification, (c) relational connections
between teachers, families, and out-of school activities, and (d) engagement with the unique
qualities of mathematics. For the boys in this study, racial identities in school are connected to
perceptions of other students‟ school engagement. The interaction between the boys‟ racial and
mathematics identities led to a sense of “otherness” and resulted in a redefinition of their own
racial and mathematics identities.
Four Factors Positively Contributed to Mathematics Identities
The development of computational fluency by third grade. The boys articulated
computational fluency as a characteristic of people who are good at math. During focus groups,
several boys described this attribute similarly. For example Tinashe stated, “I think I‟m good at
math because there are some things that I can get down quickly.” Fluency with mental
mathematical strategies and computing large numbers was defined by boys as a significant
characteristic for mathematics achievement. As the boys wrote their mathematics
autobiographies, they described computational fluency as an attribute that contributed positively
to their mathematics identities. Their speed and accuracy with mathematics operations initially
drew boys to mathematics. For most boys, they recognized computational fluency as a positive
factor contributing to their mathematics identities in third grade. Derrell and Jamal‟s voices
represent this recognition: “I was first drawn to mathematics in 3rd grade. My whole grade was
learning multiplication, decimals, and fraction…I picked up on it very quickly. I finished my
work quicker and faster than everyone so I would have to read” (Derrell, Mathematics
Autobiography). “I was drawn to math when I was in third grade. What drew me to math was
realizing that I was really good at it. I saw that I could solve math problems faster than I could
solve problems in any other subjects” (Jamal Mathematics Autobiography).
© 2011 Berry, Thunder & McClain 15
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION
Extrinsic recognition. The boys utilized extrinsic recognition as a factor in contributing to
their mathematical identities. Several outside authorities such as grades, standardized test scores,
tracking, and gifted identification provided the boys with proof of their mathematical success.
For example, Vince stated, “…because every time I answer a question or something, well not
every time but most of the time, I get the question right. And most of the time at school or math
tests I usually get A‟s and B‟s every time.” Similarly, Calvon, stated, “Yeah because…in sixth
grade we had a lot of tests, and I got A‟s and B‟s on them. And I was a really good student, and I
had A‟s on my report card in math.” School performance was a defining attribute of their
mathematics identities. The boys shared the standard of A‟s and B‟s on tests and report cards to
demonstrate success in mathematics. Other boys referenced their scores on the standardized state
test, the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). Jamal and Mateo‟ responses are representative
of the boys‟ descriptions of the SOLs test as contributing to their positive mathematics identities:
“I think I‟m successful at mathematics cuz the last two years I advanced passed in my math
SOLs and I can figure out problems” (Jamal, Focus Group) and “…in fourth grade I got pretty
good on my SOLs” (Mateo, Focus Group).
The boys‟ awareness of tracking in advanced mathematics classes and gifted
identification in mathematics also contributed to their mathematics identities. Zuberi and
Eddison‟s quotes are representative of the boys‟ reflections about tracking and gifted
identification, “I think I‟m successful in mathematics because I‟ve been in advanced math
classes and I‟ve done a lot of hard stuff…I was in it this year and I think last year and maybe
third grade.” (Zuberi, Focus Group) and “…because most of the time I‟m good with numbers.
And the past four years I think I‟ve been in either advanced or advanced honors.” (Eddison,
Focus Group). The boys realized that being placed in advanced or gifted mathematics courses
meant that others recognized them as successful in mathematics.
Relational connections between teachers, families, and out-of school activities. The boys‟
relationships with their teachers, families, and out-of school activities contributed to their
mathematics identities. In their mathematics autobiographies, many boys described their parents
as having a significant impact on seeing themselves as successful at mathematics. For example,
Geff wrote in his mathematics autobiography, “My mom actually was the first person to tell me I
was good at math. I felt good because my mom told me it can lead to a good education.” Marcus
described his parents‟ support and extension of mathematical learning: “My dad is a math
teacher so I learned most of the stuff I know from him. It felt fun because I was learning things I
never knew. My dad helped me realize I was good at math. My best math teacher was my mom
because I would come home not knowing what to do with my homework and my mom helped
me.” These excerpts are representative of the significant role of families in positively impacting
boys‟ mathematics identities.
Connections with mathematics outside of school often created contexts for boys to
construct positive mathematics identities. For example, Derrell described an out-of school
context in which his family enabled him to realize his positive mathematics identity: “I realized I
was good at math when my mom, brother, sister, or grandparents were doing bills or taxes and
needed to know simple multiplication like 8x8=64 and I knew the answer in one second…Also,
everyone asked me, „How did you know this and that?‟ That made me feel very happy.” The out-
of school activity of doing bills and taxes provided an opportunity for Derrell to demonstrate his
computational fluency. His family‟s praise initiated Derrell‟s development of his positive
mathematics identity. Other boys described similar situations with family and friends in which
they solved a problem and the other inquired about the abilities to solve the problem.
Counter Narratives
Relational connections with teachers contributed to the boys‟ mathematics identities as
the boys described individual mathematics teachers who helped them connect with mathematics
in positive ways. The following excerpt from Ishmael‟s mathematics autobiography is typical of
boys‟ positive descriptions of teachers:
My mom and teachers helped me realize I was good at math. My best teacher was
my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hebblethwaite. She was my best math teacher
because she pushed me to the limit. She was a good math teacher. It was fun to be
in her class because she always made math fun. She was different from my other
teachers because she took time to explain and help me when I had hard work.
(Mathematics Autobiography)
The boys described influential teachers, like Ishmael‟s, who “made math really exciting”
(Calvon, Mathematics Autobiography), “challenged” boys (Jamal, Mathematics Autobiography),
“could be fun and could get you to do your work” (Reymond, Mathematics Autobiography), and
“actually helped” boys understand mathematics (Vince, Mathematics Autobiography).
Engagement with the unique qualities of mathematics. The boys differentiated between
the unique qualities of mathematics and other disciplines by describing the challenge of
mathematics and their pride at persevering to completion. Jamal‟s portrayal of mathematics is
representative of the boys‟ comments:
What I like about math is it‟s kind of complicated, and I like, I want my work to
be complicated so I can actually do better when I get to higher grades. And it feels
like I finished something. It‟s like when it‟s hard, like when we were doing an
engineering project, I feel like I finished something really good, like I did a really
good job with it. (Mathematics Autobiography)
The boys‟ descriptions of mathematics included words like complicated, complex, challenging,
and requiring concentration. Mathematics presented these boys with the opportunity to problem-
solve, engage interactively, and utilize multiple strategies while also making connections to other
disciplines.
Racial Identities In School Connected to Perceptions of Others’ School Engagement
The boys‟ construction of racial identities in school was influenced by their perceptions
of other students‟ school engagement. Typically, the boys described differences in the ways
teachers treated various groups of students, which resulted in different levels of school
engagement. The boys perceived that teachers treated groups of students differently, based on
race, gender, or ability. The following focus group conversation is representative of these
comments: Damitri: Some of the teachers. Like sometimes teachers give other kids more
attention than other kids. Well it feels that way.
Keeshawn: Yeah
Damitri: Like different races of kids…yeah they favor kids…well in my math
class, my math teacher favored a couple of kids over me and a couple of my
friends…Well when I‟d like raise my hand when she‟s working with some student
and then she‟d say, „I‟ll come to you in a minute.‟ And so she‟d be like, „I‟ll come
to you after this student.‟ And then she‟d look at me and then walk to a different
student and then go over and help them and then help me.
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JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION
Keeshawn: Yeah, it‟s happened to me but not with race. It‟s not about like your
skin color or anything. It‟s about like the people who usually get more questions
right.
Damitri: The smarter students or the ones they think are smarter.
Black boys were in the minority in these boys‟ mathematics classes and schools. As a
result, many boys felt isolated. One of the purposes of the summer program was to bring this
group of Black boys together because many of them were the only Black boy in their
mathematics class. In fact, the school division had only one Black boy enrolled in Algebra I in
middle school. For some boys, the feeling of isolation created discomfort. Wynn and Kavion‟s
quotes represent the perceptions shared by boys during focus groups: “At my school really it
matters what classes I‟m in…I was the only African American who was in there the whole
year….It‟s better in the gifted classes because personally I think the teachers are nicer,” (Wynn,
Focus Group). “I kind of feel uncomfortable in my school cuz…they wear shirts and it has
[confederate flags] on it. It just makes me feel very uncomfortable. So when I see a whole group
of them in the bathroom, I just don‟t go. I just go back to my class,” (Kavion, Focus Group). The
boys‟ perception and feeling of disparity existed both physically and through interactions with
others.
A Sense of “Otherness” and Redefining Their Racial and Mathematics Identities
As the boys connected racial identities with their perceptions of others‟ school
engagement, they made distinctions between other Black males in mathematics at their school
and themselves. This sense of “otherness” caused many of the boys to reflect on how they
perceive other Black boys and how others perceive them. The following focus group
conversation is representative of the boys‟ descriptions of other Black males in mathematics:
Jamal: I think some African Americans just give up on math because they say
they can‟t do it and they don‟t even try to learn. So I think that‟s part of their
parents talking to them.
Mateo: I see that at my school too.
Jamal: Yeah, some people are just trying to be cool.
Echoes of yeah, yeah
Jamal: And then some people will pretend that they‟re cool and not nerds and not
answer questions.
Mateo: I see that at my school.
Eddison: Mostly they‟re failing…They gave up.
Jamal: Cuz like most of the black people in my grade they don‟t have black
friends so they would rather be cool cuz they think if you‟re cool you might get
more friends.
Mateo: If you be yourself, you‟ll get more friends.
Jamal: I‟m sometimes called nerd in my grade.
The boys described other Black boys as preferring to “show off” (Wynn and Kavion, Focus
Group) or “be cool” (Jamal, Focus Group).
The boys also clarified that Black males can be successful in mathematics. Some boys
described the perception of Black males‟ lack of success in mathematics as a “negative
stereotype” (Malcolm Focus Group). For example, Calvon described this when he said, “I think
Counter Narratives
like African Americans are good at math. It‟s just that like some people like putting them down
and like not making them feel good” (Calvon, Focus Group).
Collectively, the boys described people who are successful in mathematics as those who
follow directions, persevere, collaborate, want to learn, meet challenges, and are smart. The boys
contrasted these attributes with their perceptions of others‟ school engagement. The interaction
between the boys‟ racial and mathematics identities led to a sense of “otherness.” Keeshawn
described the impact of his perception of others on his own mathematics identity:
I know that African American males aren‟t usually, don‟t achieve too well in
math and stuff. But I feel that just because like statistics show that African
Americans don‟t do as well in math, don‟t achieve more, I still feel that we can do
good. It‟s just statistics say most African American males, so that kind of makes
me, that kind of gives me a boast. (Focus Group)
The boys used these perceptions to redefine their own racial and mathematics identities. Tinashe
and Zaire‟s quotes are typical of the boys‟ connections between attributes of mathematics
success and their experiences with racial identities in school: “I think [being Black] hasn‟t
affected me because it doesn‟t really matter what color I am... I‟m addicted to math,” (Tinashe,
Focus Group) and “[Being successful in mathematics] feels ok because some people think we‟re
actually, we‟re smart,” (Zaire, Focus Group). The boys recognized important attributes in
themselves that enabled them to be successful in mathematics. They also explained that these
attributes helped them overcome potential obstacles.
Discussion
The boys in this study attended schools in a school division with a small percentage of
Black students and most were the only Black boys in their advanced mathematics classes.
Understanding this context provide a lens of these boys conceptualized race, thus they developed
a sense of “otherness.” Interestingly, this sense of “otherness” may be reinforced by the master
narrative that plays out in their contexts. That is, these boys gained privileged access to advance
mathematics, which is regarded as primarily the space for White students. The perceptions of
“otherness” allow these boys to engage in school differently from their own and others
perceptions of how Black boys engage in schools. The perceptions of “otherness” shifted during
the summer program because the boys were surrounded by other Black boys who were identified
as smart in mathematics. Many of the boys saw this as an opportunity to engage with other boys
by collaborating and challenging one another. The summer program enabled the boys to connect
with other successful Black males in mathematics and to form an academic community
supportive of positive identity development. While the summer program had an academic
mission, it was the social and personal interactions that appeared to have a strong impact on the
boys. Many boys commented on how their engagement was different during the summer
program than at their schools. The boys often position themselves in postures of confidence and
challenge when solving mathematics problems. Teachers must understand the structure of the
boys‟ experiences to appreciate that such postures are not deficit nor defiant; rather, they are
transferences from other settings. A study of transferences across settings may be necessary to
broaden understandings of Black boys‟ development of mathematics identities.
Teachers‟ knowledge and appreciation of the unique qualities of mathematics that
attracted, motivated, and engaged these Black boys may provide them with a lens to identify
mathematics problems that may positively impact the development of the boys‟ mathematics
© 2011 Berry, Thunder & McClain 19
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES IN EDUCATION
identities. The complexity and challenge of mathematics was one significant quality of
mathematics that should not be ignored. This type of engagement allows the boys to
conceptualize themselves as learners who are “smart” with mathematics. Mathematics should not
be simplified or dumbed-down but rather teachers should hold high expectations for their
students to solve challenging and complex mathematics problems. Significant to this study, was
the balance between high expectations of the mathematics teacher and the scaffolding and
support of the mathematics teacher so that the students could experience success. This careful
balance between creating a learning environment where challenging mathematics is accessible
but without negating the challenge appears to be instrumental in promoting the boys‟ positive
mathematics identities.
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Berry III, R. Q. (2008). Access to upper-level mathematics: The stories of African American
middle school boys who are successful with school mathematics. Journal for Research
in Mathematics Education, 39(5), 464-488.
Berry III, R. Q. & McClain, O. L. (2009). Voices, Power, and Multiple Identities: African
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Endnote
1. We use the term Black because it represent broadly the boys in this study. Four of the boys are bi-racial (all have
African American and White parents) and three boys are African
AUTHORS
ROBERY Q. BERRY, III, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the
University of Virginia. A former mathematics teacher, he teaches elementary and special
Counter Narratives
education mathematics methods courses in the teacher education program His research focuses
on equity issues in mathematics education and mathematics instructional quality. Berry was
elected to a three-year term (2011-2014) to the executive board of the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
KATERI THUNDER is a Doctoral Candidate (ABD) in Mathematics Education at the
University of Virginia. Kateri taught elementary school and worked as a mathematics specialist.
Currently, she teaches mathematics specialist and mathematics methods courses for in-service
PreK-8 teachers. Her research focuses on equity issues in mathematics education, early
childhood mathematics education, and writing in mathematics.
OREN L. MCCLAIN is Doctoral Candidate (ABD) in mathematics education at the University
of Virginia. Oren is a former middle school mathematics teacher and worked as a mathematics
instructional coach. His research interests are access and opportunities to learn in mathematics
education.
© 2011 Berry, Thunder & McClain 23
