Case Study of Rural High School Math Teachers of African American Students

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the reflective qualities of high school math teachers of African American students in a rural setting. The case study approach was chosen to capture the voices and instructional practices at Memory High School through the use of classroom observations and interviews.

Four research questions guided this study: (a) How do rural high school math teachers of African American students select instructional strategies while planning their lessons; (b) What are the reflective qualities of high school math teachers who are educating African American students; (c) To what extent do rural high school math teachers utilize culturally responsive pedagogy to influence their instructional strategies; and (d) To what extent does reflecting about student backgrounds influence the manipulation of the math curriculum.

Most of the studies regarding African American learners are done in urban and suburban settings. Few studies investigate the learning preferences of these students in rural settings. This study attempted to capture the voices of rural educators and analyze the strategies they used to create success with their African American students as well as document structural and personal barriers which impede the use of the ideal instructional strategies effective among African American students.

The constant comparative data analysis was used to analyze each research question and develop emergent themes to answer the research questions. For the first question, the findings were (a) student prior knowledge, (b) background information, (c) curricular information, (d) analyses and (e) select. For the second research question, the findings were (a) reflection as a continuous part of practice, (b) student centered reflection, (c) selection, (d) transformation and (e) analyses. For the third research question, the themes were (a) curriculum adjustments, (b) popular communication strategies, (c) transformation and (d) appraisal. Lastly, the themes associated with the fourth research question were (a) in-class reflections, (b) student background reflection.

My findings suggest that campus structure, culturally responsive expectations and personal experiences can influence the way rural teachers modify their instructional strategies to meet the needs of African American learners.