Mathematical Persistence Among Four African American Male Graduate Students: A Critical Race Analysis of Their Experiences

Abstract

The stories of high-achieving African American mathematics students are gaining prominence in the research literature. In this multiple case study, I use a critical race theoretical frame to document and analyze the experiences of 4 mathematically persistent African American male students who earned undergraduate degrees in mathematics and subsequently enrolled in mathematics or mathematics education graduate programs. The findings reveal that these African American men drew from internal factors to influence their mathematical persistence and identified how racial microaggressions manifest themselves in postundergraduate contexts. Recommendations for practice, policy implications, and future research directions that emerged from this study are discussed to better understand African American men's mathematics experiences.