An Investigation of African American Girls' Positionality in Science and Mathematics

智力价值：这项研究探讨了非裔美国女孩在科学、数学和学习方面的定位，以及教师、辅导员和父母的地位(如果有的话)对女孩的科学和数学学习的影响。指导性假设是，非裔美国女孩的地位受到父母、教师和辅导员的态度和期望的影响。自1972年颁布《小学和中学教育法》第九条以来，许多调查试图了解影响女孩参与科学和数学以及她们选择相关职业的因素。然而，尽管在科学和数学领域的性别平等方面取得了进展，但非洲裔美国女孩的成绩仍然不佳。这项研究试图超越对差异的记录，包括如何改变成人期望和女孩自我认知之间的关系。特别是，教师和辅导员经常为非裔美国女孩和其他被社会边缘化的学生提供科学和数学学习机会的把关人。这项研究捕捉了非洲裔美国女孩从小学过渡到中学的过程，并解构了位置性的概念及其与科学和数学学习的关系。此外，研究还采用了一种综合的视角，同时关注学生、家长、教师和辅导员。研究人员预计，在高贫困学校和其他成绩不佳的学生群体中，将产生关于师生互动、家长参与以及辅导员对非裔美国女孩参与科学和数学活动的影响的新知识。更广泛的影响：该项目将为教育工作者和家长提供发展积极定位的必要工具，以改变低收入非裔美国女学生和其他被社会边缘化和成绩不佳的学生群体的发展轨迹。这将使非裔美国女孩更多地参与与科学和数学有关的职业，从而改变低收入社区，改变父母参与学校教育的性质。

Intellectual Merit: This study explores how African American girls position themselves in relation to science and mathematics and learning and the impact of teachers', counselors' and parents' positionality, if any, on the girls' science and mathematics learning. The guiding hypothesis is that African American girls' positionality is impacted by the attitudes and expectations of parents, teachers, and counselors. Since the enactment of Title IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1972, many investigations have sought to understand factors that influence girls' involvement in science and mathematics and their choosing of related careers. However, while progress has been made toward gender equity in science and mathematics, underachievement persists among African American girls. This research seeks to expand beyond documentation of disparities to include how to transform the relationship between adult expectations and girls' self-perceptions. In particular, teachers and counselors often serve as gatekeepers to science and mathematics learning opportunities for African American girls and other socially marginalized students. This research captures African American girls as they transition from elementary to middle school and deconstructs the concept of positionality and its relationship to science and mathematics learning. In addition, the research utilizes an integrative perspective that focuses simultaneously on students, parents, teachers, and counselors. The researchers anticipate that new knowledge will be generated about student-teacher interactions, parental involvement, and counselor influences on science and mathematics participation among African American girls in high-poverty schools and other underachieving student populations. Broader Impacts: This project will offer educators and parents the necessary tools for the development of positive positioning that will transform the trajectory for low income African American schoolgirls and other socially marginalized and underachieving student populations. This will translate into more participation of African American girls in science- and mathematics-related careers thus transforming low-income communities and changing the nature of parental involvement in schools.