“What’s Math Got to Do with It?” Emphasizing Math as an Impediment to STEM Excellence for Black Students
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
I am providing several observations and recommendations on how to improve the submitted article:
- the content is well contextualized,
- the research design, questions, hypotheses, and methods are clearly stated. The study investigates factors informing Black students’ enrollment in math coursework “Beyond IM3” and utilizes a mixed methods approach,
- the arguments and discussion are coherent and compelling,
- plesae ensure that all graphs, tables, and other visual elements are as clear and informative as possible,
- the results are clearly presented, I suggest adding specific recommendations for practice,
- the conclusions are thoroughly supported by the results presented in the article and the referenced literature.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageSome of the common types of grammatical errors:
- ensure that subjects and verbs agree in number (singular/plural),
- check that the tense is consistent throughout the text,
- verify the correct use of commas, periods, and other punctuation marks,
- identify and correct spelling mistakes,
- look for run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and other structural issues,
- ensure the correct usage of prepositions,
- check for the correct use of "a," "an," and "the."
Some of the grammatical corrections needed throughout the document:
line 22-23: correct to:"...and examine the barriers to taking Algebra courses."
line 67-68: correct to:"...unique approach to analyzing the gap of in Algebra course enrollment among Black students."
line145-146: correct to:"...this study will help identifying the gaps and offer solutions."
line 205-206: correct to:"...the previous studies shows significant disparities."
line 303-304: correct to:"This indicates that the black students were more likely to..."
line 417-418: correct to:"...including the family background and their school environment."
line 562-563: correct to:"This These findings can guide the future research in this area."
line 629-630: correct to:"...that differentiate between each of the three graduating classes included in this study."
line 666-667: correct to:"...variables related to individual student demographic"s" and achievements."
Author Response
Comment 1: - the content is well contextualized,
Response 1: Thank you.
Comment 2: the research design, questions, hypotheses, and methods are clearly stated. The study investigates factors informing Black students’ enrollment in math coursework “Beyond IM3” and utilizes a mixed methods approach,
Response 2: Thank you
Comment 3: the arguments and discussion are coherent and compelling,
Response 3: Thank you
Comment 4: plesae ensure that all graphs, tables, and other visual elements are as clear and informative as possible,
Response 4: I have removed several tables (Table 1.3, Figure 1.2) and added comments where they were previously. In addition, I made changes to the wording in Table 1.1.
Comment 5: the results are clearly presented, I suggest adding specific recommendations for practice,
Response 5: I already had recommendations in my implications and recommendations section. I have attempted to make those more clear.
Comment 6: the conclusions are thoroughly supported by the results presented in the article and the referenced literature.
Response 6: Thank you
Comment 7: ensure that subjects and verbs agree in number (singular/plural),
Comment 8: check that the tense is consistent throughout the text,
Comment 9: verify the correct use of commas, periods, and other punctuation marks,
Comment 10: identify and correct spelling mistakes,
Comment 11: look for run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and other structural issues,
Comment 12: ensure the correct usage of prepositions,
Comment 13: check for the correct use of "a," "an," and "the."
Response to Comments 7-12: I did my best to remedy these issues and cut various paragraphs down to be more succinct, based on the other reviewer's feedback.
Comment 14: Some of the grammatical corrections needed throughout the document:
line 22-23: correct to:"...and examine the barriers to taking Algebra courses." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 67-68: correct to:"...unique approach to analyzing the gap of in Algebra course enrollment among Black students." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line145-146: correct to:"...this study will help identifying the gaps and offer solutions." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 205-206: correct to:"...the previous studies shows significant disparities." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 303-304: correct to:"This indicates that the black students were more likely to..." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 417-418: correct to:"...including the family background and their school environment." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 562-563: correct to:"This These findings can guide the future research in this area." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 629-630: correct to:"...that differentiate between each of the three graduating classes included in this study." I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
line 666-667: correct to:"...variables related to individual student demographic"s" and achievements."I could not find the line you were referring to after making my changes
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the factors impacting Black students' enrollment in higher-level math courses. Drawing on Martin's Multilevel Framework for Analyzing Mathematics Socialization and Identity Among African Americans, the author explores the factors influencing Black students' decisions about math course-taking in high school. They used and analyzed three years of transcript data of 1,561 Black seniors students from a Southern California school district through descriptive statistics and logistic regression in STATA. The author has thoroughly examined various elements, including institutional, structural, identity, and parental factors, that affect students' ability and motivation to complete advanced math courses in high school. This thoroughness is one of the paper's strengths, as it offers an in-depth understanding of the issues at hand.
However, the paper exhibits repetitiveness in several sections. The author repeatedly presents the same ideas and even identical lines in multiple places. For instance, the description of Beyond IM3 courses appears both on page 3 and again on page 13. Similarly, the end of the Theoretical Framework section contains redundant information. The last paragraph under the methods section on page 10 reads more like a cover letter, which detracts from the paper's overall crispness and objectivity. A more concise and focused presentation would enhance the paper's readability and impact.
In the results section, the author uses independent variable combinations such as Black and ELL or Black and female as predictors. Given that all the data pertain to Black students, it is unclear how adding race as a variable contributes to the analysis unless it involves comparing student enrollment across different races. This aspect needs clarification to justify its inclusion.
Furthermore, the author includes the total number of Black students enrolled in a school as a predictor. While this is an important variable, I think consideration of the percentage of Black students would have been more meaningful insight into the school’s demographics and their impact on enrollment in advanced math courses. The current approach may not fully capture the context of student demographics.
A point of confusion arises in the paper's discussion of control variables. The author mentions that the analysis includes dummy variables for the three graduating classes (2018, 2019, 2020), with the 2017-18 school year excluded as a reference category to control for “time.” However, the results section does not clearly explain the role or impact of these control variables. It is unclear how this addition benefits the study or if it is just an extra analysis that was not properly addressed in the results.
Lastly, the paper is comprehensive, and the author has examined the influence of various predictors on students' decisions about math course-taking. However, including some additional predictors could have strengthened the study. These include: 1) any training teachers received for teaching diverse student populations, 2) the number of female math teachers, 3) the number of female math teachers of color, and 4) the funds available to schools, especially those with a high percentage of students of color. If these predictors were available, they could have added further depth to the study.
In summary, the paper offers valuable insights into the factors influencing Black students' math course-taking decisions. Its detailed analysis is commendable, but the repetitiveness and lack of clarity in certain sections detract from its overall effectiveness. Addressing these issues and providing a more focused and integrated discussion of the variables and control mechanisms would strengthen the paper and enhance its contribution to the field.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThere is no major issue with English. However, the paper exhibits repetitiveness in several sections. The author repeatedly presents the same ideas and even identical lines in multiple places. For instance, the description of Beyond IM3 courses appears both on page 3 and again on page 13. Similarly, the end of the Theoretical Framework section contains redundant information. The last paragraph under the methods section on page 10 reads more like a cover letter, which detracts from the paper's overall crispness and objectivity. A more concise and focused presentation would enhance the paper's readability and impact.
Author Response
Comment 1: However, the paper exhibits repetitiveness in several sections. The author repeatedly presents the same ideas and even identical lines in multiple places. For instance, the description of Beyond IM3 courses appears both on page 3 and again on page 13.
Response 1: I have removed the description from page 12 ( the page numbers have changed with my edits). I also removed it from the top of page 10 and added "See Table 1.1"
Comment 2: Similarly, the end of the Theoretical Framework section contains redundant information.
Response 2: I have made the changes and highlighted the final paragraph of page 9 in the theoretical framework section.
Comment 3: The last paragraph under the methods section on page 10 reads more like a cover letter, which detracts from the paper's overall crispness and objectivity. A more concise and focused presentation would enhance the paper's readability and impact.
Response 3: I labeled the paragraph on page 10 as my "positionality statement" and cut it down to one paragraph.
Comment 4: In the results section, the author uses independent variable combinations such as Black and ELL or Black and female as predictors. Given that all the data pertain to Black students, it is unclear how adding race as a variable contributes to the analysis unless it involves comparing student enrollment across different races. This aspect needs clarification to justify its inclusion.
Response 4: I use Black throughout that section to be clear that all of the students in my study were Black students. I changed some wording and highlighted those paragraphs in the update for clarity.
Comment 5: Furthermore, the author includes the total number of Black students enrolled in a school as a predictor. While this is an important variable, I think consideration of the percentage of Black students would have been more meaningful insight into the school’s demographics and their impact on enrollment in advanced math courses. The current approach may not fully capture the context of student demographics.
Response 5: Thank you for your feedback, I will take that under consideration for future work.
Comment 6: A point of confusion arises in the paper's discussion of control variables. The author mentions that the analysis includes dummy variables for the three graduating classes (2018, 2019, 2020), with the 2017-18 school year excluded as a reference category to control for “time.” However, the results section does not clearly explain the role or impact of these control variables. It is unclear how this addition benefits the study or if it is just an extra analysis that was not properly addressed in the results.
Response 6: I added a few sentences to the bottom of this paragraph, explaining why this is important. It is also highlighted on page 16.
Comment 7: Lastly, the paper is comprehensive, and the author has examined the influence of various predictors on students' decisions about math course-taking. However, including some additional predictors could have strengthened the study. These include: 1) any training teachers received for teaching diverse student populations, 2) the number of female math teachers, 3) the number of female math teachers of color, and 4) the funds available to schools, especially those with a high percentage of students of color. If these predictors were available, they could have added further depth to the study.
Response 7: These data points are not readily available. I used public data and transcript data to create as comprehensive of a data set as I could. Specifically, training for teacher and funding available to schools are not easily found via public data sources. In addition the gender variables for teachers and math teachers were binary, therefore adding both male and female categories would have negated each other in my regression model therefore only one was added. However, I did have another model where I added female teachers and it was not significant. Moreover, since (statistically) most teachers are female in the US, a female teacher data point isn't as valuable in the US context and wouldn't have been significant.
Comment 8: In summary, the paper offers valuable insights into the factors influencing Black students' math course-taking decisions. Its detailed analysis is commendable, but the repetitiveness and lack of clarity in certain sections detract from its overall effectiveness. Addressing these issues and providing a more focused and integrated discussion of the variables and control mechanisms would strengthen the paper and enhance its contribution to the field.
Response 8: Thank you. I have attempted to address these comment via my previous responses.
Comment 9: There is no major issue with English. However, the paper exhibits repetitiveness in several sections. The author repeatedly presents the same ideas and even identical lines in multiple places. For instance, the description of Beyond IM3 courses appears both on page 3 and again on page 13. Similarly, the end of the Theoretical Framework section contains redundant information. The last paragraph under the methods section on page 10 reads more like a cover letter, which detracts from the paper's overall crispness and objectivity. A more concise and focused presentation would enhance the paper's readability and impact.
Response 9: I have addressed this in an earlier response
