DOI: 10.1177/00420859261497350 ISSN: 0042-0859

“Our Kids Can’t Wait. It Can’t Just Be Me”: Black Women Science Teachers Navigate Mismatched Pedagogical Commitments

Alexis D. Riley, Elisha Arnold

The authors used Black Feminist Theory and Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory to make sense of how Black women science teachers (BWSTs) navigate the mismatched pedagogical commitments between them and their school-based colleagues. When the ways Black women might position themselves and how their school ecosystems position them are in conflict, we term this mismatched positional identity . This can produce stress and burnout. Findings highlight how BWSTs cope with simultaneously performing at a high level for their students’ academic and emotional needs while being failed by their school. Implications for Black women teachers′and researchers′ well-being are included.

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