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Abstract
Though Black women have been shown to be effective teachers, they are still underrepresented as science teachers. By sharing and centering the needs, experiences, and wisdom of practicing Black women secondary science teachers, this study aimed to enhance the experiences, recruitment, and retention of Black women throughout their educational experiences and careers as science teachers.The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the experiences, needs, and pedagogical approaches of Black women who choose to teach secondary science throughout their careers guided by the following questions: (a) What science experiences influenced Black women to become science teachers? What educational experiences influenced Black women to become science teachers?; (b) What are the experiences of Black women science teachers during their teacher preparation programs related to race and gender?; (c) What common and different occurrences related to race and gender have Black women science teachers experienced?; and (d) What pedagogies do Black women science teachers use in teaching science to students?
Black Critical Theory informed by Womanism framed this descriptive qualitative case study. Participants were four Black women teaching secondary science in the United States. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, journal entries, and lesson reflections. Participants were between 26-45 years old with 1-19 years of teaching experience.
The study found that the participants each become a secondary science teacher as a backup plan, teacher education and classroom administrations did not understand the realities of Black women, participants cultivated classrooms that were liberatory spaces, and relationships with other Black women illuminated internalized bias and intragroup conflict but was inspirational and important to participants. This study concluded that both teacher education programs and school districts are not responsive to the needs of Black women teaching secondary science and that Black women teaching secondary science to incorporate liberatory practices into their pedagogies. Implications of these findings are expressed for teacher education programs with respect to recruiting Black women and changes in program curricula and for school districts and school administration with respect to retaining Black women science teachers. Implications and encouragement for Black women secondary science teachers were written as well.