How Socioeconomic Status Effects Instruction in Middle School Classrooms

Abstract

In suburban school district, the gap in mathematics performance between students considered economically disadvantaged and economically no disadvantaged was slowly widening as evidenced by state test scores. The purpose and research questions of this instrumental case study were designed to: (a) identify what Grades 6, 7 and 8 mathematics teachers perceive the role socioeconomic status plays in ability to learn mathematics and to (b) understand what teachers believe affects their perceptions of students' ability to learn mathematics. Participants were middle school mathematics teachers from a small, diverse, suburban school district. Data was gathered through semistructured interviews; and publicly available aggregated demographic data. Identified themes were used to understand how teacher perceptions affect mathematics instruction and student success. The results indicated that a position paper outlining a course of action intended to increase teachers' understanding of the needs of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, be created and presented to the district leadership. (Print) 2375-0790 (Online) © Center for Promoting Ideas, USA www.jespnet.com 31 This statement suggests that despite teachers" desires to meet the needs of all students, their own assumptions and perceptions may affect how students from different socioeconomic backgrounds are taught. 1.1ProblemWhile there is current research examining the issue of SES on student achievement (Tienken, 2012) and on how teachers" perceptions affect student achievement (Tomul, Celik, & Tas, 2012), there is less research focused on understanding how teachers" perceptions about the effect of SES on learning readiness affects teaching strategies and student success. Often times, teachers do not know what the expectations should be for low-income students, or how to adjust their teaching for these students to succeed (Jensen, 2013). Currently, there is significant research showing that both teacher perceptions and SES each affect student achievement separately. There is less research showing the effects of teacher perceptions of SES and the relationship of how these perceptions relate to student achievement. To address this problem locally, data was gathered that defined what teacher perceptions of SES and student achievement in mathematics were, as well as data that explained what factors teachers believe affected their perceptions of student ability to learn mathematics.