IDENTIFIERS Academic Self Concept

The interaction among ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), mathematics achievement level, and gender on student beliefs about themselves as learners of mathematics was studied through in-depth interviews with high school students. One hundred high school students were interviewed. Half were: (1) African American or White; (2) female or male; (3) high-math or low-math achievers; and (4) residing in high and low SES communities. Dependent variables, based on student responses, were educational aspirations and mathematics self-concept, while demographic variables such as gender and ethnicity were independent variables. Findings reveal interactions of mathematics achievement by ethnicity, ethnicity by math achievement by SES, and gender by math achievement. The significant reported interactions involve mathematics achievement, yet mathematics coursework and achievement levels are not commonl