Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

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First Advisor

Susan Loveall

Second Advisor

Mackenzie Savaiano

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Jim Bovaird, Lorey Wheeler

Department

Educational Studies

Date of this Version

5-4-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Educational Studies

Under the supervision of Professors Susan Loveall and Mackenzie Savaiano

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Ashley Streubing. Used by permission

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the association of middle school math teachers’ cognitive processes on their use of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices to promote CRT in middle school math classrooms. Specifically, a quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used to conduct a conceptual replication of Comstock et al. (2023), and to extend their research by exploring the association between teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching math and their use of CRT practices. Participants in the current study were urban and rural middle school math teachers who may or may not have been involved in a CRT professional development program, whereas those in Comstock et al. (2023) were urban middle school math, science, or English/language arts teachers who were actively involved in a CRT professional development program.

Multiple linear regression showed that CRT professional development support, CRT self-efficacy, and CRT outcome expectancy beliefs were significant, unique predictors of how often middle school math teachers used CRT practices but that the factors that comprised self-efficacy in teaching math (i.e., efficacy for pedagogy in mathematics and efficacy for teaching math content) were not. Moderation analysis showed that the CRT outcome expectancy beliefs did not moderate the association between middle school math teachers’ CRT self-efficacy and their use of CRT practices. Altogether, findings suggest that middle school math teachers’ beliefs, confidence, and perceptions of professional development support are important to how often they use CRT practices in their math instruction; however, their confidence in their ability to teach math may not be a contributing factor, and their CRT outcome expectancy beliefs are not likely to influence the association between their CRT self-efficacy and how often they use CRT practices.

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