Mathematical voices: Examining bias in pre-/in-service teachers' noticing with respect to variations in students' accent

Intersections among equity concerns, bias, and teacher noticing are becoming increasingly prevalent in mathematics education research. Thus far, such scholarship has focused on varying aspects of the mathematical activity and resources, but has yet to address the aural dimension of mathematical moments and how students' accents influence teachers' interpretations. In this study, we examine how and to what extent does bias manifest within teachers' (in-service and preservice) professional noticing with respect to variations in students' accent? Although prior research has answered different topics concerning professional noticing and asset/deficit perspectives, there has been limited investigation regarding the accent and dialect into professional noticing scenarios. Or, in simpler terms, the sound of mathematical activity and how it shapes noticing practice. We found that the largest percentage of asset-oriented responses were precipitated by the noticing case where a student used Standard American English (SAE) accent. Shifting to the audio-track of the noticing case to African American Vernacular English (AAVE) accent case precipitated the smallest percentage of asset interpreting scores with an almost 6% difference at 38.3%. An Appalachian (APP) accent case was closer to the AAVE accent case with 40.4% of respondents having an asset interpreting score for the student's mathematical thinking.