Telling Our Stories: Exploring the Path Toward Successful Mathematics Degree Attainment at an Under-Resourced Predominantly Black Institution

<p>The under-representation of Blacks in mathematics related professions stems from an American educational system of inequity. Many Black students, including a substantial proportion of those who enroll at Predominantly Black Institutions, attend elementary and secondary schools in under-resourced districts with limited access to quality teachers and rigorous, culturally-relevant instruction that would adequately prepare them for college attainment in mathematics.</p> <p>The primary research question guiding this study was: What are the challenges and opportunities associated with building and sustaining a successful mathematics degree program at an under-resourced Predominantly Black Institution? Concurrently, this interpretive case study examined and documented the experiences of four graduates from one of these programs by means of in-depth phenomenological interviews. The three 60- to 90-minute interviews focused on life history, the college experience, and a reflection on the meaning of that experience.</p> <p>The participants' counternarratives were abstracted into three overarching themes which contributed to persistence and success: (1) people who cared, (2) sense of belonging, and (3) personal agency. The findings and themes from this study suggest that the challenges and opportunities are interconnected, and a successful mathematics degree program relies on the integrity of its community to creatively use its limited resources, and to recruit students and faculty from within to help teach one another and intentionally build a cycle of excellence.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• McKittrick, Lauren E

Contributors dc:contributor

• P B. Uhrmacher, Ph.D.

• African American
• Mathematics
• Persistence
• Predominantly black institution
• Undergraduate
• Education
• Inequality and Stratification
• Race and Ethnicity
• Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1601

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2601