This dissertation examines how third through fifth-grade students' mathematics identities developed through a strengths-based mathematics club focused on equitable teaching practices. In this study, theories of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) and Figured Worlds (Holland et al., 1998) were combined with recommendations from Catalyzing Change (NCTM, 2020) and equity-based practices (Aguirre et al., 2013) to promote students’ positive mathematics identity development. Students with positive mathematics identities have increased mathematics engagement and achievement, and are more likely to seek careers in STEM. Mathematics identities are developed through and influenced by various sociocultural, personal, and educational factors. Incorporating evidence from student surveys, teacher interviews, student reflections, and reflexive journaling, this qualitative action research study demonstrates how students’ mathematics identities developed in response to an equity-based and strengths-oriented mathematics Community of Practice. Findings support that the selection and implementation of tasks that promoted the joy, beauty, and wonder of mathematics and incorporated equitable teaching practices within this Community of Practice influenced a positive shift in students’ mathematics identities. Implications and recommendations for policy and practice, my school and district, and future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the associations between systemic equity pedagogy (SEP) practices in highly diverse high schools and their students' science achievement and college readiness. This study focuses on science programs in ten highly diverse Texas high schools serving students who exhibit high science achievement and college readiness. According to the Policy Research Group in Science Education, only two percent of all culturally diverse high schools within the state of Texas demonstrate high science achievement and college readiness on state-tracked school-level indicators. Transforming a school context where achievement disparities exist among student groups in science classrooms necessitates that public school officials understand key factors, or “drivers,” and associated indicators contributing to SEP in programs. A model for programs is suggested using a framework for SEP based on data collected from ten highly successful, high diversity high schools. The following research questions address the research gap regarding indicators of SEP associated with high science achievement and college readiness in highly culturally diverse high schools. How do data from ten highly successful, high diversity high schools inform the development of a comprehensive SEP rubric? How do high achieving high schools of culturally diverse student populations score on a comprehensive SEP rubric? How do teachers’ perceptions toward implementing SEP practices vary in different schools? Three research papers detail the research of this dissertation. The purpose for the first paper is to increase understanding of indicators facilitating systemic and equitable teaching and learning practices, otherwise referred to as systemic equity pedagogy (SEP). Results of the study show indicators of a comprehensive SEP rubric. Together, 127 indicators, thirty categories, and eight SEP drivers form a model framing equitable teaching and learning practices associated with high science achievement and college readiness. In conclusion, indicators within the SEP rubric can be described as action-oriented descriptors that science teachers engage formally or informally in order to facilitate quality science education for all students. The purpose for paper two is to score equitable teaching and learning practices in highly successful high school science programs based on the SEP rubric. Findings reveals that implementation of various equitable teaching and learning practices vary across science programs and these practices can be described as both pedagogical and non-pedagogical. In conclusion, varying degrees of implementation exist for indicators in the SEP rubric. In paper three, the purpose is to understand science teachers’ attitude and approach toward implementing systemic teaching and learning practices. Results from this study provide scores that indicate science teachers’ perceptions of their approach to SEP. This study concludes by suggesting high achieving science programs may operate within a continuum for implementing equitable teaching and learning practices.

Läsförståelse är en komplex färdighet beroende av flera samspelande förmågor. Lärares uppfattningar om hur läsförståelseundervisning kan utformas i praktiken i relation till elevers olika utvecklingsstadier är en avgörande faktor för elevers läsförståelseutveckling (Jönsson, 2007). I tidigare forskning framgår vilka förmågor som krävs för fullständig läsförståelse, och hur förmågorna kan undervisas i praktiken. Däremot saknas forskning om lärares uppfattningar av arbete med läsförståelse i klassrumskontext. Inte minst saknas lärares uppfattningar av arbete med läsförståelse ur ett helhetsperspektiv och hur lärarna går tillväga för att forma läsförståelsearbetet likvärdigt i relation till elevers skilda utvecklingsstadier. Syftet med föreliggande studie är därför att beskriva verksamma lågstadielärares uppfattningar om läsförståelseoch den undervisningspraktik som bedrivs för att utveckla elevers läsförståelse. Studiens syfte uppnås genom frågeställningarna: ·      Hur uppfattar verksamma lågstadielärare begreppet läsförståelse i F-3?  ·     Vilka arbetssätt beskriver och motiverar lågstadielärare att de använder för att utveckla elevers läsförståelse i F-3? ·     Vilka aspekter beskriver lågstadielärare som särskilt viktiga i samband med arbetssätt för läsförståelse i F-3?  Materialinsamlingen genomfördes genom tre semistrukturerade fokusgruppsintervjuer med sex verksamma lågstadielärare. Denna kvalitativa studie utgår från ett fokus på lärares uppfattningar. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. I resultatet framgår att läsförståelse uppfattas som samspelande förmågor som inkluderar bland annat avkodning och inferensskapanden av textinnehållet. Resultatet visar lärarnas uppfattningar av arbetssätt för att utveckla läsförståelse, vilka motiveras och beskrivs i form av bland annat variationen av högläsning, textsamtal, en läsande klass, parläsning, och textkort. Arbetssätten beskrivs möjliggöra utveckling utifrån varierade kunskapsnivåer och utvecklingsstadier. I samband med arbetssätten har läraren en avgörande roll, där textval i relation till elevgrupp i samband med arbetssätten är en betydande faktor. / Reading comprehension is a complex skill depending on several interacting abilities. Teachers' perceptions of how reading comprehension teaching can be designed in practice relative to students' different developmental stages are a decisive factor for students' reading comprehension development (Jönsson, 2007). Previous research emphasizes which abilities are required for fully developed reading comprehension, and to some extent how these separate abilities can be taught in practice. However, there is a lack of research on teachers' perceptions regarding reading comprehension teaching in the classroom context. There is also a lack of research on teachers' perceptions of reading comprehension from a holistic perspective and how teachers create equitable reading comprehension teaching relative to students' different stages of development. The purpose of the present study is therefore to describe primary school teachers' perceptions of reading comprehension and the teaching practice that is conducted to develop students' reading comprehension. The purpose of the study is achieved through the questions:      ·      How does primary school teachers perceive the concept of reading comprehension in grades F-3? ·      What working methods do the primary school teachers describe and motivate that they use to develop students' reading comprehension in grades F-3? ·      What aspects do primary school teachers describe as particularly important in conjunction with working methods for reading comprehension in grades F-3? The data collection was carried out through three semi-structured focus group interviews with six primary school teachers. This qualitative study is focusing on teachers' perceptions. The theoretical framework of the study is based on a sociocultural perspective. The results show that reading comprehension is perceived as interacting abilities that include decoding and inference creation. The results show the teachers’ perceptions of working methods for developing reading comprehension, which are motivated and described by the variation of reading aloud, text talks, a reading class,reading in pairs, and text cards.The teachers describe that the working methods enable development based on varied levels of knowledge and stages of development. In connection with the working methods, the teacher has a decisive role, where text choice relative to the student group in connection with the working methods is a significant factor.

Likvärdig undervisning är en viktig del av svensk skola. Forskning visar däremot att målet med att bedriva en likvärdig undervisning är svår att genomföra i praktiken. Samtidigt som likvärdigheten försämras i svensk skola, verkar elevernas läsförståelse gå i samma riktning och fler är i lässvårigheter än tidigare.   Den här studien har som syfte att bidra med kunskap om likvärdighet i undervisning, med ett särskilt fokus på elever i lässvårigheter. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med sex lärare på högstadiet undersöker studien hur lärare beskriver sina erfarenheter kring likvärdighet och vilka undervisningsstrategier de använder för att hjälpa elever i lässvårigheter bli delaktiga i läsundervisningen.   Resultatet visar att lärarna anser att likvärdig undervisning är svårt och att det inte finns tid att anpassa undervisningen efter varje enskild individ. Detta visar sig även när lärarna diskuterar läsundervisningen, där mycket fokus läggs vid att hjälpa elever i lässvårigheter. Resultatet visar även att lärarna ser ett ökat behov av att låta elever läsa mer skönlitteratur och att fler är i lässvårigheter än tidigare. Lärarna beskriver hur de använder olika undervisningsstrategier för att elever i lässvårigheter ska bli delaktiga i läsundervisningen. Studiens slutsats är att lärarna upplever att undervisningen inte är likvärdig, då den i större utsträckning anpassas efter elever i lässvårigheter. / Equitable teaching is an important part of the Swedish school system. Research on the other hand shows that equitable teaching is difficult to achieve in practice. At the same time as equity is deteriorating in Swedish school, students' reading comprehension also seems to be deteriorating and more people are having reading difficulties than before.   The purpose of this study is to contribute with knowledge about equitable teaching. Through qualitative interviews with six teachers in secondary school, the study examines how teachers describe their experiences of equity and which teaching strategies they use to help students with reading difficulties become included in reading instruction.  The results show that the teachers consider equitable teaching difficult and that there is no time to adapt the teaching to each individual. This is also apparent when the teachers discuss reading instruction, where a lot of focus is placed on helping students with reading difficulties. The results also show that the teachers see an increased need of letting students read more fiction and that more students are in reading difficulties then before. The teachers use different teaching strategies to make sure that students in reading difficulties are included in reading instruction. The study concludes that the teachers feel that the education is not equitable, as it to a greater extent is adapted to include students with reading difficulties.