The African American Science Teacher & African American Student Motivation presented by Jeffrey C. Miller University of Texas at Dallas Fall 2004

The African American Science Teacher Underrepresented in hard sciences Teach in underrepresented environments Diverging backgrounds & experiences

African American Students in Hard Sciences Smaller portions taking hard science courses Diverging concepts of racism Cultural expectation of failure Social life, community service, music, sports Peer influences

What do you mean motivation? Influence appears to be non-academic  Motivation to pursue science/technical careers  Students with science related majors  Students enrollment in higher science courses  Student attitude toward peers perusing science  Students self-concept of intelligence

African American Science Teachers’ Areas of Impact Teacher Student Interaction Factors  Mentoring & Support Systems  High student expectations Individual Students Factors  Positive self-concept  Perception of racism Cultural Factors  Identification & awareness  Benefit of experiences

Benefits of Completing Advanced Science Courses Academic & Professional  Decrease achievement gap  Success in both postsecondary education and the labor force More than test scores  Self-realization  Cultural shift

Research It Science Teachers vs. Humanities Teachers Peers in Humanities vs. Peers in Sciences Students in Humanities vs. Students in Sciences

Summary, Conclusions, Questions African American Science Teachers have the potential to play a vital role in the improvement of the African American students’ self-perception of intelligence and therefore influence their academic achievement.

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