RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Exploring Sense of Belonging Among Black and Latina Students in College Algebra and Precalculus: Insights From a Mixed Methods Study at a Minority-Serving Institution
Page: 772
In this sequential explanatory mixed methods study, I examined Black and Latina female students’ sense of belonging in gateway mathematics at a diverse, open-access minority-serving institution. Using frameworks of intersectionality, sense of belonging, and authorizing student perspectives, I explored how students’ identities shaped their experiences in college algebra and precalculus. I surveyed 1,136 students (pre-survey) and 639 students (post-survey) using an adapted Math Sense of Belonging Scale and analyzed data using ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results showed that mathematics affinity and expected grades were stronger predictors of belonging than race or gender. From the qualitative data, I identified six positive and six negative factors influencing belonging, including professors’ mathematical microaffirmations and microaggressions, perception of caring faculty, peer collaboration, peer connections, mathematics self-efficacy, and perceptions of class diversity. These findings highlight the importance of caring faculty, collaborative learning, and peer support in fostering belonging in racially diverse mathematics classrooms.