Teachers' empathetic caring is associated with stronger mathematics classroom connectedness among Black and Latine students than transactional care¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? When teachers demonstrated empathetic care, their students felt more connected to their math courses compared to students of teachers who demonstrated transactional care. → Harris-Thomas 2026

Evidence¶

Harris-Thomas 2026¶

Harris-Thomas, B., Nicolai, K. D., Chen, X.-Y., & Areizaga Barbieri, C. (2026). Examining Black and Latine Students' Sense of Belonging within the Mathematics Classroom: A Narrative Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10181-0

q2 · i? · review · r2

Narrative review reporting Maloney and Matthews (2020), a mixed study with 12 mathematics teachers and 321 Black and Latine students in an urban Northeastern district, on mathematics classroom connectedness. The review reports the empathetic-versus-transactional care contrast. No effect sizes printed.

"When teachers demonstrated empathetic care, their students felt more connected to their math courses compared to those who had teachers who demonstrated transactional care (i.e., caring about students and only seeing them as "mathemati -cal beings""

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Belonging — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• A racial school-climate gap exists: White and Asian students generally report higher safety, support, and connectedness than African American, American Indian, and Hispanic students — related
• Youth-led action research found that many California high school students did not feel cared for by adults at school — related
• High implementation of trauma-engaged practices was associated with higher elementary students' caring-others perceptions — related
• Teachers' provision of opportunities to belong predicts Black and Latine students' class engagement and overall school engagement — related