AN INVESTIGATION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT PRACTICES OF
EXPERIENCED ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN URBAN SCHOOLS
A Thesis
Presented to the faculty of the Department of Teacher Education
California State University, Sacramento
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
in
Education
(Curriculum and Instruction)
by
Jaime K. Lam
SPRING
2012
© 2012
Jaime K. Lam
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ii
AN INVESTIGATION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT PRACTICES OF
EXPERIENCED ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN URBAN SCHOOLS
A Thesis
by
Jaime K. Lam
Approved by:
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Frank Lilly, Ph.D.
__________________________________, Second Reader
Rita M. Johnson, Ed.D.
Date
iii
Student: Jaime K. Lam
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University
format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to
be awarded for the thesis.
, Department Chair
Rita M. Johnson, Ed.D.
Date
Department of Teacher Education
iv
Abstract
of
AN INVESTIGATION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT PRACTICES OF
EXPERIENCED ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN URBAN SCHOOLS
by
Jaime K. Lam
Current research on teacher attrition is high, especially in urban schools. High
attrition rates can affect the overall cohesiveness of the school community (McKinney,
Campbell-Whately, & Kea, 2005). Classroom management is one of the variables for
teachers leaving the profession (Shernoff, Marinez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, & Atkins,
2011). Urban schools tend to be more diverse culturally, linguistically, and economically
(Bergeron, 2008). Culturally relevant teaching is the teacher’s awareness of diverse
students in classrooms and how instruction is planned to educate students from all
backgrounds (Brown, 2004). The study was conducted to explore how experienced sixthgrade teachers in urban schools use culturally relevant practices to facilitate classroom
management. For this study, four sixth-grade teachers and six sixth-grade students in
urban schools were interviewed to investigate their experience with culturally relevant
practices. The researcher generated questions based on the themes found in the literature:
creating a caring environment, validating culture, using a variety of strategies, and
nurturing parent and student relationships. The data for the study came from the
responses to the interview questions from students and teachers. The results of the study
v
indicated that experienced teachers in urban schools are implementing many practices
that are consistent with culturally relevant teaching, as related to the themes. The themes
consisted of: setting high expectations and caring, validating culture and culture matters,
cooperative learning and group-based projects, and building relationships with students
and parents. This study illuminates the need for further course offerings and professional
development in the area of culturally relevant practices for future beginning teachers.
, Committee Chair
Frank Lilly, Ph.D.
Date
vi
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to the loving memory of my dad.
Thank you for being my guiding light.
Kin P. Lam
November 25, 1951 - September 4, 2011.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Dedication ......................................................................................................................... vii
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1
Statement of Problem ...............................................................................................1
Significance of the Problem .....................................................................................5
Definition of Terms..................................................................................................5
Limitations ...............................................................................................................6
Organization of Study ..............................................................................................7
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................................................9
What is Classroom Management? .........................................................................12
What is Culturally Relevant Teaching? .................................................................13
Importance of Culturally Relevant Teaching .........................................................14
Acknowledgement of Culture ................................................................................15
Caring Environment and Setting High Expectations .............................................17
Establishing a Positive Relationship with Students and Their Families ................20
Improving Culturally Relevant Practices ...............................................................20
Perspectives of Culturally Relevant Teaching .......................................................21
Conclusion .............................................................................................................22
viii
3. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................24
School Setting ........................................................................................................24
Demographics and Background .............................................................................27
Teacher Selection Sample ......................................................................................27
Student Selection Sample ......................................................................................29
Interview Questions ...............................................................................................31
Data Collection ......................................................................................................32
Research Design.....................................................................................................33
Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................33
Conclusion .............................................................................................................34
4. RESULTS, DATA ANALYSIS, AND FINDINGS ....................................................35
Presentation of Data ...............................................................................................35
Data Analysis .........................................................................................................51
Summary ................................................................................................................56
5. CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS .........................57
Limitations .............................................................................................................57
Conclusions ............................................................................................................58
Recommendations and Suggestions for Future Research ......................................59
Appendix A. Teacher and Student Questionnaires ............................................................61
Appendix B Consent Forms ...............................................................................................68
ix
Appendix C. Parental Permission Form.............................................................................70
References ..........................................................................................................................71
x
LIST OF TABLES
Tables
Page
1.
Table 1 District Demographics ..............................................................................25
2.
Table 2 Student Demographics ..............................................................................26
3.
Table 3 Teacher Demographics .............................................................................27
4.
Table 4 Teacher Sample.........................................................................................29
5.
Table 5 Student Sample .........................................................................................30
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1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
A first-year teacher is ecstatic to receive the call that she is hired on as the new
third-grade teacher at an urban inner-city school. The credential program prepared this
teacher with skills, knowledge, and strategies to tackle the first years of teaching. To top
it off, this new teacher loves to work with kids. She spends critical weeks in the summer
getting the classroom ready with bright inviting colors, attending a back-to-school retreat
to meet the staff, and thinking about who her students will be. As the honeymoon period
of the first few weeks dwindle away, this same teacher is beginning to feel the effects of
working in an urban school: cultural diversity, language barriers, poverty, lack of parental
involvement, lack of resources, and classroom management issues related to behavior and
motivation. As each day passes, this teacher becomes more and more disenchanted with
teaching. She feels as though she has exhausted all avenues to get her students to get
along with one other and engage in learning. The teacher recalls having a great schooling
experience and does not understand what the problem is with today’s schools. Within
three years, this teacher contemplates transferring to another school or leaving the
teaching profession altogether.
Statement of Problem
The purpose of this study was to gather narrative data by exploring the practices
of sixth-grade teachers and experiences of students in urban schools, more specifically
how culturally relevant practices are used to manage their classrooms to address the
2
diversity of students, and how their students respond to such practices. It was designed to
explore the culturally relevant teaching practices of experienced elementary school
teachers in urban schools.
Student diversity in public schools has changed immensely through the years.
Cultural, linguistic, and low socioeconomic diversity are most prevalent in urban schools.
Many new teachers begin their careers in diverse urban schools, and attrition among new
teachers in diverse urban schools is extremely high. Behavior problems, lack of
administrative support, and classroom management are variables associated with the
reason teachers are becoming disenchanted with teaching (Shernoff, Marinez-Lora,
Frazier, Jakobsons, & Atkins, 2011). High attrition rates are more prevalent in urban
schools, which can greatly affect the overall cohesiveness of the school community.
Amazingly, half of all beginning teachers in diverse urban schools generally leave within
the first three years of teaching due to the difficulties of establishing a classroom
environment conducive to learning (McKinney, Campbell-Whately, & Kea, 2005). The
top four reasons why teachers left the profession were low pay, lack of public funding for
education, discipline, and students who were unmotivated (Haberman & Rickards, 1990).
There is a need for this study with the enactment of The No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001. Schools receiving federal funding are required to assess students using a
standardized test. All students take an identical test under the same conditions; the test
results illustrate how well students are taught. The schools receiving funding through the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, known as Title I funds, must meet the
3
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in student test scores. Title I is part of the amended
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides financial help to schools with
high percentages of children from low-income families to support all children in meeting
the challenging state academic standards. This means that each year, the students in each
grade must perform better than the students from the previous year in the same grade.
The act also requires all states to provide highly qualified teachers. The qualifications of
a highly qualified teacher vary from state to state. In California, teachers must hold at
least a bachelor’s degree, a teaching credential licensed by the state, and show
competency in the subject matter (California Department of Education, 2012).
Colleges and universities can help new teachers by offering coursework related to
culturally relevancy for teachers to become successful with all students. Teacher
education preparation programs and school districts are under pressure as they attempt to
prepare new teachers to deal successfully with the complex issues as they begin their
teaching careers. Some challenges for new teachers include classroom management,
learning the curriculum, adapting to the policies of the school site, being professionally
evaluated by the administrator, planning lessons engaging all students, providing for the
social and emotional needs of students, and being accountable for students’ standardized
state assessments. These challenges are more prevalent in urban schools where there are
fewer resources, increased class sizes, and where many beginning teachers begin with
little or no preparation in working with culturally diverse students (Bergeron, 2008).
4
An approach to helping beginning teachers become more successful in working
with students in urban schools is to utilize practices of culturally relevant teaching in
managing their classrooms. Culturally relevant practice is a method that can help
teachers help students create a better connection to school. New teachers would most
likely experience more success in urban schools if they were well prepared to create a
positive learning environment with students (Harrell, Leavell, van Tassel, & McKee,
2004).
Culturally relevant teaching is a pedagogy in which teachers consciously and
actively build upon the cultural knowledge of students to make learning more meaningful
and engaging to the students. This pedagogy was brought to the forefront of academic
literature in 1994 by Ladson-Billings as a strategy for teachers to match their teaching
styles to the cultural background of their students (Gay, 2000). The term was initially
used as a key strategy for implementing a successful multicultural education program.
The initial research used anecdotal data from eight teachers who were successful in
strengthening the cultural identity of the students through culturally relevant teaching
practices. The teachers had a profound positive impact on the educational experiences of
students in urban schools, specifically African-American students, who were traditionally
outperformed in school by their White suburban counterparts. The teachers were given
the name “Dreamkeepers” (Ladson-Billings, 1994). In more recent research, culturally
relevant teaching is defined as teaching that facilitates and supports achievement of
students of all cultures represented in the classrooms today (Ladson-Billings, 2006).
5
Significance of the Problem
This research is important because urban school districts need to not only recruit
and prepare, but also retain new teachers, particularly those who are highly effective in
culturally relevant instruction. It is essential for future teachers to be able to manage
classrooms in diverse urban settings since many of them will begin their career urban
classrooms. This type of practice will motivate, engage, and maximize the learning
opportunities for students. The findings are extremely valuable to teacher preparation
programs and school districts so they will have data upon which to base their selection of
future professional development trainings. Both students and teachers will benefit.
Definition of Terms
The following defined terms are used in this study.
Attrition
Attrition is the act of teachers leaving the profession or choosing another school.
Culture
Culture is defined as the behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics of a particular
ethnic group.
Experienced Teachers
The term is used to describe teachers who have taught for at least five years at a
highly diverse urban school.
6
Low Socioeconomic Status
Students who come from poverty are considered to be students of low socioeconomics status. These students typically qualify for free or reduced lunch and
breakfast at their schools.
Student Engagement
Teachers use a variety of strategies to engage students in learning. Students are
actively involved in what is being taught in the classroom.
Teacher Preparation
Teacher preparation is described as the coursework and trainings taken by
teachers-in-training in preparation for the teaching profession.
Urban Schools
Schools located in an urban area rather than in a rural area, a small town, or a
suburb, has a relatively high rate of poverty (measured by the number of students
receiving free or reduced lunch), a high proportion of students of color, and has a
high proportion of English Language Learners.
Limitations
This study explored the teaching practices and school experiences of teachers and
students in urban schools. The study was limited to four teachers and six students who
participated in the interviews. Data could possibly be skewed if teachers or students were
being dishonest about their answers. Another limitation is that all the data were derived
using qualitative methods. No quantitative data were used to measure the academic
7
achievement resulting from the implementation of culturally relevant practices. A final
limitation is the funding and time needed for teachers to be trained. This research is
primarily based on exploring the culturally relevant classroom management practices
most often used by experienced teachers in urban schools.
Organization of Study
This study was conducted to explore potential ways to help teachers manage their
classrooms in urban settings. This study contains five chapters. Chapter 1 provided an
introduction to culturally relevant pedagogy, the statement of the problem, the
significance of the problem, limitations of the research, a list of definitions of terms used
in this study, and the organization of the study. Chapter 2 includes an introduction to
classroom management, definition of culturally relevant teaching strategies, the
importance of culturally relevant teaching, how culturally relevant teaching is
implemented, the benefits of culturally relevant teaching, strategies for implementation in
the classroom, and student perception of culturally relevant classroom management
strategies. Chapter 3 introduces the methodology of the study, describes the setting and
participants of the study, gives a description of the sample used, describes the instrument
used to conduct the research, and describes how the data was analyzed. Chapter 4
includes demographics and presents the data and results. Chapter 5 provides a summary,
a conclusion, and proposed recommendations for future research in culturally relevant
practices. The appendices include parent, teacher, and student consent forms, as well as
questionnaires used for teachers and students. An investigation of culturally relevant
8
classroom management practices in urban schools remains the focus of this study and
continues to guide the direction of research as the information is disseminated.
9
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
In this chapter, a review of the literature on culturally relevant practices will
provide a better understanding of what it is and how it can affect the academic and social
success of urban students. The literature on culturally relevant teaching has evolved over
the years. It is only natural for teachers to adjust, evolve, and change their practices
through time to deal with the changes that occur. As public urban schools become more
diverse, teachers are constantly evolving their teaching practices to reach the individual
needs of all their students. Teachers get the opportunity to refine, adjust, and review their
teaching practices on a daily basis. As teachers begin each school year, they are allotted
the opportunity to acquaint themselves with a group of new students, varying cultures,
and life experiences. Students will also grow and prosper academically in urban schools
as teachers gain new strategies and grow professionally (Jeanpierre, 2004).
Many beginning teachers are unprepared to deal with the issues that come with
working at urban schools. Some issues prevalent in urban schools include lack of
parental involvement, drug or alcohol abuse by parents, race relations, and unprepared
students (Harrell et al., 2004). In addition, the failure of beginning teachers to create
culturally relevant classroom can cause teachers to leave the school or profession due to
issues related to working in urban schools, most specifically, classroom management
(McKinney et al., 2005).
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Subsequently, many teachers are leaving the profession at the peak of their
careers, which creates higher turnover rates at school sites, thus affecting the overall
community structure of the school. Schools with low-teacher attrition rates are able to
create a consistent school environment where students feel safe, respected, and cared for
by the teachers and school staff (Guin, 2004). Staff stability is important for student
success in schools. Teacher retention is critical for increasing achievement and stability
for students. Some variables that increase attrition rates include low salaries, increased
class sizes, issues with facilities, and lack of instructional materials and resources (Terry
& Kritsonis, 2008).
One of the reasons cited for teachers leaving the profession or moving to a
different school was the teacher’s inability to manage a classroom of diverse learners
effectively (Wilkins-Canter, Edwards, & Young as cited in Brown, 2004). Classroom
management is one of the main challenges in urban classrooms (Weiner, 2003).
Classroom management challenges are particularly acute in urban schools where many
new teachers often have their first teaching opportunity. The challenges may include
issues with poverty, language barriers, and cultural diversity added to the complexity of
successfully managing a class. Much of the data on how experienced teachers in urban
schools manage their classrooms are anecdotal (Ladson-Billings, 1994). The
presumptions are that such teachers are quite authoritative, have highly structured
environments, adopt an eclectic model that defies classification among the well-known
11
models in the literature, and offer their students a “fair” classroom environment, rather
one that is highly adaptive to the cultural diversity of their students.
The academic focus in public schools has shifted through the years. With the
induction of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), more emphasis has been put
on evaluating students through results of high-stakes standardized testing in language arts
and mathematics. Such testing measures student progress, therefore leaving teachers to
rely highly on district mandated, often scripted, curriculum intended to foster the
academic needs of all students. Teachers, in turn, are highly concerned with test scores,
rather than focusing on designing instruction to meet the needs and interests of their
students (Montgomery, 2011). Students in diverse urban schools are affected more since
school is where they gain knowledge and skills to be academically successful. A high
percentage of students in urban schools come from homes with little parental
involvement. This can be attributed to parents’ long work hours, lack of education, and
lack of resources (Shernoff et al., 2011).
A higher percentage of students in urban schools struggle academically compared
to students in suburban school counterparts. The struggles relate to academics and social
issues. This effect can be attributed to the unequal distribution of academic resources, the
lack of adequate preparation from teacher preparation programs, and the lack of
professional development opportunities (Barnes, 2006; Kozol, 1992; Ladson-Billings,
1994). Although, urban schools tend to have a higher percentage of culturally and
linguistically diverse students from low socio-economic backgrounds (Haberman, 1995;
12
Weiner, 2003), all students regardless of race and social class can benefit from culturally
relevant management strategies.
The demographics in public schools have been changing; therefore, it is critical
for teachers to apply culturally relevant management strategies to match the increase in
student diversity (Bazron, Osher, & Fleischman, 2005). Culturally relevant classroom
management is one of many strategies that can be used to reach students of diverse
cultures. Teachers should not focus on culture alone to make connections with their
students. Teachers must weave culturally relevant strategies into standards taught to help
support the achievement of culturally diverse students (Ladson-Billings, 1994).
What is Classroom Management?
Classroom management refers to a set of strategies teachers use to manage their
classrooms. Teachers generally choose how they would like to organize and manage
their classrooms. The way a teacher manages the class is the key to providing a safe and
supportive environment for all the students. Social organization is how the teacher
interacts and communicates with the students and how the students relate to each other.
The choices a teacher makes about how to manage the class reflects a cultural
perspective, whether or not it is explicitly or implicitly addressed. Teachers must have
knowledge of the cultural backgrounds and upbringings of their students in order to
develop caring relationships with students and their families (Rothstein-Fisch &
Trumbull, 2008). Classroom management and organization are a function not only of
13
teachers’ values, beliefs, and expectations, but also of their knowledge about possibilities.
Rothstein-Fisch and Trumbull (2008) wrote, in Managing Diverse Classrooms:
A single cultural point of view can build teachers to the potential right before their
eyes. If teachers do not even seen the different skills students have, but only gaps
in the expected skills, they will waste or damage precious human resources. This
is why learning about culture – one’s own culture, the culture of school, and the
culture of home – is essential. (p. 176)
Teachers must create a classroom environment that can engage all students, while
respecting the individual cultures in the classroom. Teachers are working harder to
bridge the culture of home to the culture of school (Brown, 2007).
What is Culturally Relevant Teaching?
Culturally relevant teaching is the teacher’s awareness of diverse students in
classrooms and how instruction is planned to educate students from all backgrounds
(Brown, 2004). Once a teacher acknowledges culture plays an integral role in the
learning processes and experiences of todays’ culturally diverse students, further
characteristics of this pedagogy can be implemented. Those characteristics include
promoting high academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical
awareness in creating a learning environment where all students feel welcomed,
supported, and provided with multiple opportunities to learn through instruction that
genuinely recognizes the cultural differences of each student (Gay, 2000). Furthermore,
Ladson-Billings (1994) suggests cultural relevancy allows a teacher to make meaningful
14
connections with students from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds, which can
lead to more success in school, academically or socially. Academic success can include
participating more in class, earning better grades, or having a better understanding of
instructional content. Social success in school includes getting along better with peers
and having a more positive attitude about school (Pranksky, 2003).
Importance of Culturally Relevant Teaching
Culturally relevant teaching utilizes a student’s culture to overcome the negative
effects that can be brought about by the dominant culture of a society (Kunjufu, 2002).
Students will, in turn, feel more valued when their personal experiences are
acknowledged in the classroom setting. Some of the negative effects students must
overcome may include, but are not limited to, the absence of diversity in curriculum,
which consists of the lack of diverse representation of cultures in textbooks, inaccurate
views of culture portrayed, including history and photographs. In addition, not having a
range of cultures represented on the school staff in higher positions, such as principal or
teacher, can hinder a child’s perspective of self (Kunjufu, 2002). One critical outcome of
culturally relevant teaching is that it empowers students to become more successful
learners. Students are encouraged to think critically and make meaning of what is taught
in the classroom (Thompson, 2007). Teachers also provide the tools for students to
access information in a way that makes sense to the student. Those tools can include
using the background knowledge of the students to build upon classroom discussions,
15
providing opportunities to think critically, acknowledging their cultural knowledge, and
problem solving with real-life situations (Bergeron, 2008).
Acknowledgement of Culture
First and foremost, teachers must acknowledge a child’s cultural background as a
strength, rather than a weakness (Brown, 2004). Students come to school with a plethora
of background knowledge that can be shared in a classroom setting through writing and
discussion (Bergeron, 2008). The cultural background of the students should be the core
of all classroom instruction (Kunjufu, 2002). Therefore, it is important for a teacher to
view the students’ experiences as a strength a teacher can build upon to help the student
gain success in school (Gay, 2000; Sato & Lensmire, 2009). Children need to be valued
for what they can contribute to their classroom based upon their cultural experiences, and
that value is established by the teacher. A teacher’s role in generating meaningful lessons
and rich discussions based on culture and diversity can greatly contribute to the
classroom environment. Students are not as likely to misbehave or become disengaged in
school if they feel their culture is validated in the classroom (Monroe, 2005).
Acknowledgment and awareness of culture alone are not enough. Teachers must
follow through with action, that is, through instruction and interaction in and out of the
classroom. Students may find it hard to succeed or do well in a classroom where the
teacher is not trained to have any knowledge of how to work with culturally diverse
students (Barnes, 2006). If students do not feel connected to the teacher and what is
taught, they will become bored, which can lead to behavior issues (Thompson, 2007).
16
Oftentimes, students do not find a connection between what is taught in schools and what
is experienced at home (Gay, 2000). Teachers have the opportunity to motivate students
by building on what students already know.
Ladson-Billings (1994) describes characteristics of successful teachers of African
American students who received culturally relevant training. Two different approaches
were mentioned: The culturally relevant teaching approach and the assimilationist
approach. Culturally relevant approach is the belief that culture plays an important role
in the learning process for students. A culturally relevant teacher views a student’s
culture as a bridge that will connect them to what is taught in school.
The assimilationist approach supports the idea that children are children and the
culture of the child is not relevant in the classroom. Another dimension to the
assimilationist approach is that teachers expect students to have a level of academic skills
when they arrive in the class. If students lack academic skills or connection to the
classroom, teachers resent the students, resulting in a deficit model of thinking. The
deficit model is used to describe teachers who believe a child’s culture, home life, and
other circumstances are to blame for students’ academic deficiencies. Defining a
person’s culture or socio-economic status as a weakness, rather than as a strength is
considered a “deficit” model. A “deficit” model blames a student’s environment and
circumstances for their low performance in school academically or socially whether it is
conscious or unconscious. The deficit model of thinking can be damaging for students
academically and socially since they are unable to find a connection to themselves at
17
school (Sato & Lensmire, 2009). Teachers who practice culturally relevant teaching use
student experiences as a resource to build upon their educational experience.
Caring Environment and Setting High Expectations
Culturally relevant teachers view their students as being filled with knowledge
and experiences that contribute to the overall community of the classroom (Gay, 2000).
The teachers set high standards because they have a strong belief in the abilities of their
students. This strong belief leads to a mutual respect formed between teacher and
student. In other words, they do not excuse students from doing their best work. Students
are all held accountable to high standards of excellence, and teachers are there to support
the students along the way. In a culturally relevant classroom, all students are valued for
the differences and experiences they bring with them into the classroom environment
(Bergeron, 2008). Also, in a culturally relevant classroom, students are encouraged to
work hard and aim high academically, while still retaining their culture (Howard, 2001).
The culture and life experiences of the students are valued and intertwined in the daily
lessons and discussions of the class.
Culturally relevant teaching involves the incorporation of cultural knowledge,
building upon prior experiences or background knowledge, and the learning styles of
ethnically diverse students to create a positive experience for students from culturally
diverse backgrounds. It acknowledges that cultural heritage affects students’ attitudes
and approaches to learning. Most importantly, it is a bridge connecting students’ home
18
lives to their school lives, while making a broader connection to the world around them
(Gay, 2000).
Establish a caring learning environment is another element of culturally relevant
teaching. Caring can be displayed on many different levels, including teachers providing
challenging and thought provoking tasks for students, allowing time for students to think
about a question before answering, providing constant praise, providing constructive
criticism, and allowing students to add details when responding to questions (Gay, 2000).
In addition, teachers can display care by setting high expectations for students to attain,
creating an atmosphere in the classroom where everyone feels respected and valued, thus
making learning challenging, meaningful and fun, and encouraging students to put in
their best effort at all times. Students will put in their best effort when they form a
connection with the teacher. Students are engaged when their teachers are sharing
interesting stories and when they are allowed to share their own personal stories.
Students will be more engaged in learning and put in more effort when culturally relevant
teaching practices are implemented in the classroom (Howard, 2001).
It is important for teachers to establish caring and respectful relationships with
students, especially when teachers come from a different cultural background than their
students. This is important because this is how teachers can model respect by
appreciating the diversity of all students (Weinstein, Curran, & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003).
Establishing meaningful connections can happen inside or outside the classroom.
19
Some ways a teacher can establish meaningful connections in the classroom is by
connecting lessons to students’ cultures and experiences, getting to know students’
interests outside school, and being involved in the school community (Gay, 2000). This
idea supports one of the pillars of culturally relevant teaching of providing a
sociopolitical mindset for the students. Students must understand how their interaction in
the classroom contributes to the community, and eventually, to the world. Gay (2000)
wrote in Culturally Responsive Teaching:
Along with improving academic achievement, these approaches to teaching are
committed to helping students of color maintain identity and connections with
their ethnic ground communities; develop a sense of community camaraderie, and
shared responsibility and acquire an ethic of success. (p. 30)
Brown (2004) conducted a qualitative study of the classroom management of
urban school teachers from various cities to assess whether students’ needs were being
addressed in urban schools. This includes cultural, emotional, cognitive, and social
needs. The study found all participants showed a genuine interest in their students by
creating a respectful classroom community. Some key themes that emerged from
Brown’s (2004) study were teachers demonstrated care for students, teachers were
assertive with expectations, teachers set up a cooperative learning environment, teachers
set high expectations by demanding effort, and teachers communicated effectively with
students. The above strategies contributed to the academic success for urban students.
20
None of the teacher participants received any formal training in culturally relevant
teaching.
Establishing a Positive Relationship with Students and Their Families
Essentially, culturally relevant teachers must take time to reflect on their personal
biases and perceptions of other cultures because such reflection is the start of culturally
relevant teaching (Weinstein et al., 2003). Teachers must realize their own cultural
biases can hinder the students’ educational experiences. Therefore, teachers must see
culture as an asset and use it to help students achieve in school. Teachers must step out
of their comfort zones and get to know the families and community of students in their
classroom (Howard, 2001). Culturally relevant teachers believe utilizing culturally
relevant strategies when working with students who are culturally diverse is important.
Improving Culturally Relevant Practices
Incorporating culturally relevant teaching will help students achieve academic
excellence because it provides a learning environment in which students can experience
success (Barnes, 2006). With the incorporation of culturally relevant teaching in the
classroom, students can benefit by being challenged academically and feeling valued for
their cultural differences at school. Teachers can benefit by building an appreciation for
their students and teaching in a more positive environment (Gay, 2000).
Ladson-Billings found parents appreciated when teachers valued their partnership
in their child’s education. Teachers who actively seek advice and suggestions from
parents through meetings, newsletters, and other forms of communication were
21
considered to be highly effective teachers by parents. Most parents would like to
collaborate more with teachers and administrators so they can have a better understanding
of what goes on at school (Ladson-Billings, 1997). In addition, most students expressed
the need for teachers to be more understanding and accepting of their cultural differences.
Teachers should be aware of the cultural differences each child brings into the classroom.
A relationship built on trust and collaboration between parents and teachers can make the
schooling experience for students more positive (Thao, 2003).
In a school district in Northern California, a selected school hosts a cultural and
linguistic summer school session each year. The program completed its fourth year in
2009. Teachers who participated in the program were teachers identified as “model
teachers.” The model teachers were chosen based upon their positive experience with
students, parents, community, and staff. Teachers received training prior to the start of
the summer school session. Teachers used the culture of their students to infuse the
standards-based curriculum because the purpose of the program was to infuse the culture
of the students into the curriculum. Students spent four hours a day for five weeks
learning about different cultures and customs. Parents had positive comments about the
program. Students had a greater respect for other cultures, and a high esteem for their
own culture (Harvey, 2008).
Perspectives of Culturally Relevant Teaching
Culturally relevant teaching cannot be measured in terms of assessments or test
scores. Much of the research found was conducted with middle school and high school
22
students and teachers. Culturally relevant teaching practices were mainly measured by
student levels of engagement, observations, and academic improvement in school.
However, very few studies were focused on student perspectives, especially at the
elementary age.
Conclusion
The literature review focused on the positive outcomes of applying culturally
relevant pedagogy in urban classrooms. Culturally relevant practices demonstrate that
the academic and social achievement of urban students depends on a variety of factors the
teacher can put into place for their students. The outcomes include feeling a sense of
belonging in the classroom community, experiencing academic success, building critical
thinking skills, having a sense of empowerment in the world, and, most of all, learning
from teachers who value their cultural diversity.
With the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the constant
theme of standardized teaching, culturally relevant practices can be low on the priority
list for many teachers. However, teachers can still incorporate culturally relevant
practices while teaching the mandated state standards. If teachers are able to educate
themselves about culturally relevant practices and its positive effects on urban students,
teachers and students will experience greater success in schools and the learning
environment will be more positive.
Culturally relevant classroom management involves the following five principles:
1. recognition of teachers’ own cultural lens and biases
23
2. knowledge and understanding of students’ cultural backgrounds
3. awareness of the broader, social, economic, and political context
4. ability and willingness to use culturally appropriate management strategies
5. commitment to building caring classroom communities. (Weinstein et al.,
2004)
24
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to investigate culturally relevant practices of
experienced teachers in urban schools by interviewing sixth-grade teachers and students.
The study explored the successes of teachers and students in urban schools. Teachers
were given a questionnaire and students were interviewed. The study focused on sixth
graders because culturally relevant teaching is important in the intermediate grades of
fourth through sixth since students begin to lose interest in school during these critical
academic years. The loss of interest in these critical years can be reduced by teachers
who are highly competent in the content, are caring, and are responsive to the strengths
and needs of their students (Sanacore & Palumbo, 2009).
This chapter presents the demographic information about the two schools, the four
teachers, and six students who participated in this research. Furthermore, this chapter
provides an explanation of the methodology used to gather information about teacher and
student perceptions of culturally relevant management strategies, and a description of
how the information was analyzed.
School Setting
The study was conducted with teachers from two different urban elementary
schools located in Northern California. The schools included in this study were Title I
schools with diverse populations. The schools were both part a large urban school
district in Northern California, which is the 11th largest public school district in the state
25
of California. At the time of the study, the district served 47,900 students. The diverse
district consisted of 35.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 18.1% African American,
18.6% White, 5.3% two or more races, 23.7% English Language Learners, and 67.1%
economically disadvantaged students (see Table 1).
Table 1
District Demographics
Hispanic/
Asian
Latino
35.9%
African
White
American
18.4%
18.1%
18.6%
Two or
English
Economically
More
Language Disadvantaged
Races
Learners
5.3%
23.7%
67.1%
Forest Elementary1 is located in a community with single-family homes, as well
as a nearby government subsidized housing complex. A majority of the students live in
the government subsidized housing complex. The school serves kindergarten through
sixth-grade students. The ethnic makeup of the student population was approximately
32% African American, 29% Asian or Pacific Islander, 33% Latino, and 6% White or
other. Approximately 34% were English language learners, and 65% were economically
disadvantaged. The diversity of the teaching staff did not mirror the student population.
The teacher population was 29% African American, 13% Asian or Pacific Islander, 4%
Latino, 82.6% two or more races, and 23% White. The administration consisted of a
1
pseudonyms are used for all schools in this thesis
26
principal who was female African-American (Education Data Partnership, 2011) (see
Tables 2 and 3).
Blue Elementary served students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The
student population was 60% Hispanic or Latino, 23% Asian, 7.2% African American,
5.3% White or other, 53% English Language Learners, and 89.8% economically
disadvantaged (Education Data Partnership 2011) (see Table 2). The teaching staff
included 14.3% Asian, 19% Hispanic or Latino, 57.1% two or more races, and 9.5%
White (see Table 3). The administration consisted of an Asian-American female
principal (Education Data Partnership, 2011).
Table 2
Student Demographics
School
Hispanic/
Asian
Latino
African
White
American
English
Economically
Language
Disadvantaged
Learners
Forest
33%
29%
32%
6%
34%
65%
60%
23%
7.2%
5.3%
53%
89.8%
Elementary
Blue
Elementary
27
Table 3
Teacher Demographics
School
Hispanic/
Asian
Latino
Forest Elementary
Blue Elementary
African
White 2 or more
American
Races
4%
13%
29%
23%
82.6%
9.5%
14.3%
0
9.5%
57.1%
Demographics and Background
The first 12 questions in the demographic section of the survey asked teachers to
identify their ethnicity, educational background, experiences in teaching, specializations,
hobbies, and philosophy of teaching. The analysis indicates the participants represented a
diversified group (see Appendix A). Students were interviewed to explore how culturally
relevancy was implemented in their classrooms. The first part of the questionnaire was
the demographic section (see Appendix A). This section asked students to identify their
full name, age, ethnicity, home language, and special interest. The analysis indicates the
participants represented a diversified group.
Teacher Selection Sample
The teachers were selected based on a purposeful sample. The selection for the
study was chosen based upon experienced teachers who were teaching sixth grade at an
urban school at the time of the study. The teachers selected had been in the teaching
profession for at least five years. Because attrition is high in urban schools, the
28
researcher was interested to discover why the teachers in this study remained successful
in working with urban students. In addition, the teachers also may have had some
training or knowledge of culturally relevant teaching. The selected teachers were given
consent forms to participate in the study.
Of the six teachers selected, only four teachers agreed to participate by returning
their consent forms (see Appendix B). The selected teachers were given a copy of the 49
open-ended questions, and a copy was sent through email. The researcher received the
responses within three to four weeks of sending out the questions. The teachers were
asked to thoroughly check their responses to ensure accuracy. Teachers were also
encouraged to ask for clarification if needed. The researcher read through the responses
and requested explanations from teachers when needed.
Each of the four teachers came from a different ethnic background (see Table 4).
Three of the four teachers were female and their ages ranged from 28 to 45. The
teachers’ years of teaching experience ranged from 8 to 14 years. Each teacher
participated in the study voluntarily and all names have been concealed to ensure
confidentiality.
29
Table 4
Teacher Sample
Teacher
Gender
School
Mrs.
Ethnicity
Years Teaching
Latino
Riviera*
Female
Forest
Ms. Brown
Bilingual
K-8 Multiple
14
AfricanFemale
Forest
American
Credential
Subject/BCLAD
K-8 Multiple
8
Mrs.
Subject
K-8 Multiple
Miller
Female
Blue
White
9
Mr.
Subject
K-8 Multiple
Castillo
Male
Blue
Latino
8
Subject
*pseudonyms are used for all participants in this thesis
Student Selection Sample
The students were selected based on a purposeful sample by the teacher. Each
teacher selected two students from different cultural backgrounds for the study. The
researcher initially obtained consent from the two sixth-grade teachers from the first
school. The researcher then emailed the consent form to the two sixth-grade teachers
from the other school requesting permission. The researcher sent home a letter for
parental and student permission before beginning interviews with the students (see
Appendix C). Of the eight students selected, six returned permission slips. Alex was a
White male in the sixth grade, Anna was a Latino female in the sixth grade, Lia was a
30
Hmong female sixth grader, and Raul was a Latino male sixth grader. Joey was a
Chinese male sixth grader, and Sarah was an African American female sixth grader.
Table 5
Student Sample
Student
Gender
Ethnicity
School
Teacher
Age
Years at
Current
School
Alex*
Male
White
Forest
Ms. Brown
10
3 years
Ms. Brown
11
3 years
Mrs. Miller
11
6 years
Mr. Castillo
11
4 years
10
7 years
11
5 years
Elementary
Anna
Lia
Raul
Joey
Sarah
Female
Female
Male
Male
Female
Latino
Forest
Bilingual
Elementary
Hmong
Blue
Bilingual
Elementary
Latino
Blue
Bilingual
Elementary
Chinese
Forest
Mrs.
Bilingual
Elementary
Riviera
African American
Forest
Mrs.
Elementary
Riviera
*pseudonyms are used for all participants in this thesis.
31
Students were interviewed to see what their experiences were in the classroom in
regard to culturally relevant practices. Each student was interviewed separately outside
his/her classroom during the latter part of the school year. They were interviewed in the
school library or outside the classroom on a bench. The interviews required two separate
sessions. The researcher posed a question and the students gave a response. The
questions were designed to be open-ended and to solicit detailed responses. The
researcher recorded the answers on a laptop computer. After each question, the
researcher allowed time for the student to think about the question before answering.
Oftentimes, a question was skipped and returned to later because the student needed more
time to think about the question. Each response was typed and read back to the student to
ensure accuracy.
Interview Questions
After reviewing the literature, questions for this study were created to elicit
thoughtful responses from the students and teachers. The questions were created using
the themes found in the literature review. Each theme consisted of three to five questions
throughout the interview. The four themes included creating a caring environment,
validating culture, variety of strategies, and parent and student relationships. Each
question was worded in a different way to see if teachers were consistent with their
practices of cultural relevancy. The student interview questions matched the questions of
the teacher interview questions (see Appendix A).
32
Data Collection
Information was collected from teacher questions and student interviews in order
to gather a variety of evidence. To gain a better understanding of the practices used by
elementary teachers in urban schools, the data was analyzed using qualitative measures to
derive a description of teachers and students in urban schools perspectives on culturally
relevant teaching. The researcher used a qualitative methodology employing grounded
theory by utilizing open-ended questions for the teachers and students.
The researcher gathered data in the form of open-ended questions for both the
teacher and students. The teacher questionnaire consisted of 49 open-ended questions
with opportunities for teachers to expand if needed (see Appendix A). The first part
pertained to teachers’ educational background, experience, hobbies, etc. The second part
consisted of questions requiring teachers to expand upon teaching philosophies,
classroom management style, and culturally relevant teaching knowledge. The questions
were designed to reveal themes of culturally relevant practices. Many questions
reiterated the same theme to ensure the interviewee responses were consistent with a
particular theme.
Students were interviewed from May through June 2010. The student interview
consisted of 43 open-ended questions with survey embedded questions (see Appendix A).
The first five questions were demographic questions, such as name, birthday, home
language, and special interests. The next six questions included a scale that consisted of
very little, some, or a lot, as the response choices along with an opportunity to elaborate
33
and explain responses. The remaining questions were open-ended questions regarding
school. The student questions were designed to match the questions of the teacher
interview. The researcher was interested to find any similarities between student and
teacher responses.
Research Design
This grounded theory study used qualitative methods approach by using data from
open-ended interview questions of teachers and students. The information provided by
the participants in the open-ended interview questions allowed the researcher to make
meaning of the responses as they related to the themes of culturally relevant teaching.
Qualitative research attempts to explore and understand individuals and groups associated
with a social issue. The inquiry strategy of grounded theory is used to derive meaning
from the participants in the study by finding any common themes expressed by teachers
and students, as well as with current research to formulate common theme patterns
(Creswell, 2009).
Data Analysis Procedures
After the data was collected, the researcher utilized a thematic analysis of the
responses using the strategies of grounded theory. Grounded theory coding techniques
were used to code the data. First, the researcher examined the open-ended responses to
the questions and interviews by reading and extracting key points from each response for
each category. Then, common themes and patterns began to emerge with the participant
responses. Repeated responses from teachers and students were noted as themes. The
34
researcher also compared responses from the students and teachers in an attempt to
understand each perspective and identify any common patterns. The researcher utilized
the data from the student interviews and teacher questionnaires to see if the responses
were consistent with common practices or strategies of culturally relevant practices.
Conclusion
This chapter described the methodology and subjects, which included procedures,
instruments, data collection, and analysis used for this study. The subjects were four
sixth-grade elementary school teachers and six sixth-grade students from urban schools.
The instruments used to collect data for this research were open-ended interview
questions. The following chapter seeks out themes emerging from the study, and offers a
reflective analysis of the data. These themes will help the reader recognize practices that
experience teachers are implementing to provide urban students with a better foundation
for experiencing academic and social success.
35
Chapter 4
RESULTS, DATA ANALYSIS, AND FINDINGS
This chapter presents the major themes that emerged from the teacher
questionnaire and student interviews. Throughout this chapter, an examination of
students’ and teachers’ perceptions of culturally relevant teaching is identified. A better
understanding of student perception impacts teachers’ connections with their students and
assists in improving students’ overall experience in school. In this study, the researcher
explored the perception of teachers and students in relation to culturally relevant
practices.
Presentation of Data
The data used in this research study come from the analysis of the teachers’ openended interview question responses and student interview responses. The presentation of
data from this study is divided into three parts. Part one provides background and
demographic information regarding the teachers and students selected for this study. It
includes teacher’s gender, ethnicity, level of education, credential, information regarding
number of years in education, and whether formal training was received in culturally
relevant teaching. Furthermore, it includes teachers’ responses to questions 15-16 and
28-29 (see Appendix A). It includes students’ demographic data such as, age, grade,
ethnicity, home language, how many years attending the school, and special interests
outside school, along with student responses for questions 10-11 and 27-28 (see
Appendix A). The demographic and background information of the participants is
36
essential to help provide a context for the study. Part two reveals the responses of
teachers and students from the interview questions as they correlate to the themes of the
literature. Part three identifies any emerging themes that occurred from the responses of
the teachers during the interviews.
Mrs. Riviera’s Class
Mrs. Rivera received her multiple subject teaching credential in 1998 from a state
university in Northern California. She was born Central America and immigrated to the
United States when she was in middle school. She was fluent in English and Spanish.
She had taught fourth grade through sixth grade students during the past 14 years. She
became a teacher because she wanted to make a difference in the lives of children who
did not fit the prototype of success, yet were unique, smart, and intelligent. She did not
describe her classroom management style as one particular model. “I have taken what is
useful from different models and applied it accordingly to the situation and the child. I
believe there is not one size that fits all of the needs of my students.” She felt if a teacher
placed all emphasis on one particular model, not all students would be successful. She
believed teachers should be flexible when meeting the social and academic needs of
students.
Mrs. Riviera learned about culturally relevant teaching practices through a
training offered by her district. She signed up for the training so she could learn about
the current strategies to help students at her school. Since she did not believe in
embracing one particular model, she implemented some of the ideas into her classroom.
37
However, she also felt “a sense of relief knowing that many of the ideas mentioned at the
training were strategies that I already use.”
Joey was a 10-year-old Chinese male whose primary language was Cantonese,
and he was a first-generation American from China. His parents are both immigrants of
China with basic English skills. His hobbies included video games and comic books. He
attended Forest Elementary since pre-school. Sarah was an 11-year-old African
American female whose primary language was English. She was born and raised in the
United States. Her hobbies included singing, drawing, and spending time with friends.
She attended Forest Elementary since the second grade.
Caring. Mrs. Riviera showed she cares about her students by believing in them
and setting high expectations for them. She understood students in urban schools are at a
disadvantage in terms of resources and lack of support sometimes from home. She also
set aside time to deal with behavior or academic issues by meeting students on a one-onone basis. She felt,
I can really get to know my students by having an authentic conversation with
them about who they are as people. I want my students to know that I care about
them as a person, not just about grades and standardized test scores.
Furthermore, Mrs. Riviera believed “students can smell honesty. If they know you really
care about them, then they can earn your respect and trust.”
Both students from Mrs. Riviera’s class felt the teacher expected a lot from her
students and refused to let them fail. Sarah described a time:
38
I had to finish a research project, but my mom was not at home and could not take
me to the library. I went school very upset and sad. Mrs. Riviera talked to me at
recess and took me to the school library to get the research I needed.
Joey said, “Mrs. Riviera always wants us to do and be our best. I think that means she
cares about us.”
Culture matters. Mrs. Riviera strongly felt culture is the core to how students
process information and learn. She felt it was important as a teacher to acknowledge the
cultural background of the student. “To deny the student’s culture is to deny the
student.” She felt culture played an important role in how students perceive the
experiences around them. Mrs. Riviera grew up in a poor community, and both her
parents did not speak English. She recalled having to “battle stereotypes and
discrimination while in school as a young child.” She remembered those feelings of
“shame and embarrassment.” This is the reason why she understood the importance of
understanding her students and where they came from. “Culture plays a huge role in
learning. Not acknowledging culture or race is completely ignoring a student and never
really teaching him or her.”
Both students felt their culture was validated in the classroom. Joey stated, “we
have a wall in the classroom that belongs to us. My teacher lets us post things on there,
like pictures of our families, things about our culture, and anything else interesting we
would like to share.” Sarah stated that she likes to post “quotes or sayings from my
39
language because that is what I have at home on my mirror.” Sarah and Joey both know
about their teacher’s culture because she “talks about it all of the time.”
Engaging students. Mrs. Riviera embraced many models of learning and
teaching. She believed in being flexible with her instruction to cater to the needs of all of
her students. For example, if students are having difficulty understanding a concept, she
will find different ways to present the information. “Oftentimes, I refer back to my own
culture and how I was taught in school.” One quality she enjoyed about working with
sixth graders was their independence and honesty. She felt she was able to “incorporate
more critical thinking activities” with this particular age group.
Mrs. Riviera believed inquiry is the backbone to instruction. It is through inquiry
investigation that students truly derive meaning from what is taught. One example of an
inquiry-based project was a family history project. Students had to work in a group to
construct a list of interesting questions they would like to ask their family members to
gain better insight into their family history. Each group drafted their own set of
questions. Students went home, interviewed family members, and discussed results with
their groups.
Both students agreed Mrs. Riviera made learning “fun” by allowing them to work
in groups and challenging them to “think more.” Mrs. Riviera differentiated her
instruction allowing partner work, group work, individual work, and games to practice
skills taught. Both students also mentioned the family research project Mrs. Riviera
mentioned in her interview.
40
Forming relationships with students and parents. Mrs. Riviera felt that growing
up in bilingual homes helped her understand the lives of her students and their families
better. They understood it was their responsibility to bridge the gap, not the parents’.
She made every effort to keep the communication open with her parents. She also tried
to attend any activities in which her students participated outside of the classroom. One
way of forming and keeping relationships with parents is through home-visits. Mrs.
Riviera tried to visit every family at least once a year. “During the visits, I get a real
good sense of where my students come from. I also get a chance to sit down with parents
in their home court and talk about their child. Home visits are very powerful.”
Both students mentioned having Mrs. Riviera visit their homes. Joey thought it
was “pretty neat to see my teacher at my house.” Both students also mentioned how they
felt Mrs. Riviera always encouraged students to invite their parents to school functions
and events.
Mrs. Miller’s Class
Mrs. Miller received her teaching credential from the Bilingual Multicultural
Teaching Credential program from a state university in Northern California in 2000. She
was White and born and raised in the United States. She had taught second, fifth, and
sixth grades. She became a teacher because she had a passion for education and wanted
to share that passion with children. She believed in education being a vehicle for upward
mobility. She believed in a democratic classroom, where students are given choices. She
enjoyed working with sixth graders because “they are expressive and independent.”
41
Mrs. Miller learned about culturally relevant teaching while in the Bilingual
Multicultural program.
My master teacher implemented many of the strategies, so I was therefore able to
learn a few tricks early on while being a student teacher. The professors that I had
were all very driven to inspire us all to go into the profession with a mission to
make things better for urban students. The literature and textbooks required for
some of my courses were mostly diversity and culturally based.
Lia was an 11-year-old Hmong female student whose primary language was Hmong. She
was born in Thailand. Her family immigrated to the United States in 2000. Her hobbies
included running, singing, reading, and watching Thai movies. She had been at Blue
Elementary since kindergarten. Lia enjoyed being in the sixth grade. “We get to do more
big projects and learn interesting things.”
Caring. Mrs. Miller showed she cares about her students by believing in them
and giving them tools to be successful in school and life. “I believe all students have the
potential to be successful, regardless of any setbacks in their life.” She felt her greatest
strength was being a good listener.
I try to listen to what my students say and remember it. Whenever I pass them in
the hallway or during breaks, I do my best to ask them how they are doing.
Former students are often surprised when I can recall information they told me
years prior.
42
She always showed she cared by setting high expectations for her students. She did not
allow her students to fail. “Failing is not an option in my classroom. I believe everyone
has the potential to succeed and I must provide to opportunities for my students to obtain
that success.”
Lia felt her teacher really cared about the class. “She always tells us how proud
she is of us and to never give up.” She felt her teacher showed she cared “when she
checks to see how I am doing on my work.” Lia mentioned how her teacher began each
morning with a positive chant about “believing in ourselves.”
Culture matters. Mrs. Miller did not explicitly mention her culture during class,
but she felt she used the differences of her culture to help understand and appreciate the
culture of her students.
I grew up in a suburban, middle-class neighborhood. Much of what my students
go through on a daily basis is such a huge eye-opener for me. Through the years,
I’ve learned to appreciate where they come from and what they bring to the
classroom.
Mrs. Miller felt she learned a lot from her students about different cultures.
Recently, a student invited me to attend a Day of the Dead festival on a Saturday
morning. The student was so ecstatic to see me there. She gave me a tour of all of
the altars. I was amazed at how important this occasion was for my Latino
students.
43
Lia felt her culture was an important part of learning. She liked how Mrs. Miller
encouraged students to share experiences from their culture. “My teacher will always ask
us if there is the same kind of story in our culture whenever we read a story in class. I like
that.” Mrs. Miller tried her best to capture the essence of culture being mindful of the
various multicultural centered books she could introduce to the class.
Engaging students. Mrs. Miller incorporated a variety of teaching strategies to
engage her students. One of her favorite strategies was allowing her students to discuss
assignments with partners or in a group setting. She did not mind that her class gets
noisy at times.
We do many presentations and group projects in a school year. One project is a
college exploratory project. Students select a college and present it to the class. I
have seen presentations with poster boards, guest speakers, and PowerPoint. My
students continue to amaze me year after year with the quality of the projects.
This project was designed to get the students thinking about their bright future.
Mrs. Miller provided additional support or help to the students who do not have the
resources to complete assignments at home. She provided school supplies, books,
transportation, and sometimes even monetary assistance. “The sixth graders go on a
camping trip at the end of the school year. Some students simply cannot afford the fees
involved. I do not mind assisting, so long as they are working hard in school.”
Lia felt this class was different from previous classes because Mrs. Miller let
students talk and move around the classroom.
44
We can talk as long as we are talking about what we are learning. We get to work
on projects with a group. We have to ask each other questions and make sure if
the answer is right or wrong. This helps us think about the answers. We will think
more about what is happening in the story.
Lia also enjoyed the class because she felt her teacher was “encouraging and kind” to her
and the other students in the class.
Forming relationships with students and parent. Mrs. Miller admitted forming
relationships with parents during the early years of her career was very difficult and
overwhelming. “I had so many worries during my first few years of teaching. The last
thing on my mind was talking to the parents, let alone visiting their homes.” However,
she felt these relationships were “so critical and valuable for the child.” She believed a
teacher could learn a great deal by speaking to the parents of the child. Mrs. Miller
conducted home visits for students having issues in class. Some of the issues may
include “poor attendance, poor homework habits, low academic scores, social issues, or
behavior problems.” A majority of the time, she noticed a change in the students after
visiting their homes. She attended schools events and outside functions so the parents
and students could get to know her. “Some of the outside events I have attended include
birthday parties, sporting events, and health fairs.”
Lia mentioned her teacher had never visited her home, but she did see her teacher
at school events. “I have seen my teacher at the Fall Festival, Science Night, Literacy
45
Day, and Winter Program. She was usually talking to students and helping with the event
at the same time.”
Mr. Castillo’s Class
Mr. Castillo received a multiple subject teaching credential in 2002 from a state
university in Northern California. He also held a Master’s degree from the same
university. He was Latino and was born and raised in the United States. He had taught
grades fourth through sixth. He became a teacher because he believed any child can and
will rise up to the expectations set before him/her. He believed in making learning fun
and enjoyable for his students. He enjoyed working with sixth graders because they were
“old enough to understand a lot of societal issues and think critically.” He did not
“tolerate students bullying and being unkind to one another.” This is the main reason
why he liked to set the tone early on in the school year that his classroom was a “safe and
inviting place for everyone to experience success.”
Mr. Castillo attended three training sessions offered by his district geared toward
culturally relevant teaching practices. He felt the trainings were very valuable, and he
applied most of the strategies in his classroom, such as collaborative atmosphere, variety
of ways to engage students, and incorporating student culture into lessons. Mr. Castillo
felt he was already applying many of the elements in his classroom, so attending the
trainings gave him a great “sense of excitement knowing that I was already putting many
of those practices into play.”
46
Raul was an 11-year-old Latino male student whose primary language was
Spanish. He was a first-generation American from Mexico. Both his parents are
immigrants from Mexico. His hobbies included playing basketball, video games, and
computer games. He attended Blue Elementary since the second grade. “Sixth grade has
been fun so far. I get to do a lot of projects and work on the computer.”
Caring. Mr. Castillo showed he cared by talking to his students. “I also make a
conscious effort to talk to my students as often as possible. I put schoolwork aside and
talk about things that they are interested in.” He also required his students to share
something orally each week about their personal interests. “This helps them really get to
know each other and practice public speaking skills at the same time.”
Culture matters. Mr. Castillo felt his culture helped him teach his students. “Like
many of my students, both of my parents are immigrants. I think growing up hearing two
languages at home and identifying with a minority population helps me understand these
kids and their live better.” He incorporated culture by selecting culturally relevant
literature and current events to share with the class. He felt culture was an important
aspect of a child. Raul was proud of his culture, but did not feel it mattered if his teacher
talks about it or not. “I like it when he does, but I will still be a good student if he does
not talk about it.”
Engaging students. Mr. Castillo utilized many cooperative learning strategies.
He put the responsibility on the students to learn the material, and they always prevailed.
He felt it was important for his students to work at a level where they “feel challenged to
47
be successful.” He differentiated his instruction, so all the academic needs were met. “I
let them shout-out answers, work with a partner or group. I mix up my instruction in
order for my students to stay engaged and interested.” Mr. Castillo also liked to
incorporate technology into his lessons. He felt this helped students engage in the
content. Raul enjoyed coming to school because:
Mr. Castillo makes learning fun and interesting. He always tells jokes to make us
laugh. If we don’t get it, he will find a funny video or clip on the computer and
show it on the screen for the class to see.
Forming relationships with students and parents. Mr. Castillo formed
relationships with the families by visiting their homes. “This helps build that strong
relationship with their families.” He tried to visit the families twice a year.
Conducting home visits is a huge component of our school. Our principal
requires and expects us to reach out to our families and forge those critical
relationships early on in the school year. This has helped my students see the
classroom as a mere continuation of home.
Mr. Castillo also attended all school functions whenever he could. He felt it was a great
way for him to meet the families and see the students outside of the classroom setting.
Raul recalled Mr. Castillo visiting his home. “He came over and we all sat on the
couch to talk about school. It was the first time a teacher came to my house.” He had
also seen his teacher at after-school events.
48
Ms. Brown’s Class
Ms. Brown received her teaching credential from the Bilingual Multicultural
Teaching Credential program from a state university in Northern California in 2003. She
was African-American and was born and raised in the United States. She had taught
fourth- through sixth-grade students. She became a teacher as a second career because
she wanted to have a more meaningful occupation. Her philosophy was that all students
can learn at high levels with high expectations. She described her classroom
management style as firm, but fair. “I make sure students know that there is a
consequence for every action.”
Ms. Brown attended the same training as Mr. Castillo. She also felt the training
was valuable and “wished they offered it sooner.” She felt the training validated what
she was already doing in her classroom. Ms. Brown also went through the same
credential program Mrs. Miller did in different years. She felt the program gave her a
“good foundation” for working with students from diverse backgrounds. “Our classes
and discussion were always set up in a family-like atmosphere. Everyone felt safe to
discuss race and social issues related to education.”
Alex was a 10-year-old White male student whose primary language was English.
He was born and raised in the United States. His hobbies included playing outside, riding
his bike, and collecting comic books and baseball cards. He had been at Forest
Elementary since the third grade. He enjoyed being in the sixth grade, except for
classmates who are “acting up and getting in trouble.” Anna was an 11-year-old Mexican
49
female student whose primary language is Spanish. She was a first-generation American
from Mexico. Her hobbies included playing soccer, basketball, and reading. She had
been at Forest Elementary since the third grade. She also enjoyed being in the sixth
grade, but she did not care for kids being “mean to each other.”
Caring. Ms. Brown showed she cared for her students by allowing them to share
stories while she listened. She set appointments with her students at the beginning of the
year to get to know each child.
I always tell them stories about the success of others who share the same dream. I
encourage them to do their best at all times. I work with them one on one when
they have a problem. I elicit their trust from the beginning.
Another way she showed she cared about her students was by setting high expectations
for them. “Each of my students set goals frequently. Goal setting is all part of life. We
set them, we refine them, and we achieve them.”
Both students mentioned that their teacher cared about them. They recalled how
hard she “pushes them to do well in school.” She also showed she cared by having
conversations with them outside class. Anna recalled, “My teacher comes to school
early. We are allowed to go in the classroom to get ready. She always talks to and checks
on me to make sure I understand things.”
Culture matters. Ms. Brown felt it was important to teach her kids about her
African heritage and for her to learn about the culture of her students. She mentioned she
tried to weave her culture into class discussions and lessons whenever she could because
50
she felt “it is important for my African American students to know that what they do with
their families not much different from what I do with mine.” Also, she was not afraid to
ask her students questions about their cultures. “I have learned a tremendous amount
from my Hmong, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Latino students through the years. These kids
are so intelligent and wise.” Ms. Brown wanted her students to feel safe to share about
their culture and perspectives in class. “In my class, everyone knows that they are
respected for who they are and the knowledge they bring into the classroom.”
Both students believed “Ms. Brown is very proud of her culture.” This is
evidenced by the effort she put into sharing and valuing her own culture and the culture
of her students. Anna mentioned how Ms. Brown had a very diverse classroom library.
“There are different books about lots of cultures. She lets us borrow the books or read it
at our free time.”
Engaging students. Ms. Brown differentiated her instruction through “direct
instruction, writing, cooperative learning, student-centered activities that promote critical
thinking and problem solving.” One thought that Ms. Brown repeatedly expressed was
her commitment to provide time for her students to write.
Through writing, I get to know my students more through their eyes. Sometimes,
with 33 students, it can be very difficult to sit down and talk to each one of them.
With writing, I can read about their life experiences and get to know them on a
deeper level.
51
Aside from writing, Ms. Brown engaged her students with stories from her life. “I like to
share about my life with my class. They get to know me as a person. I tell them stories
about my son, our adventures together, and my days growing up on the East Coast.”
Both students expressed how much they enjoyed being in Ms. Brown’s class.
“We do a lot of projects in this class. I didn’t do so many last year,” said Alex. Anna
enjoyed the writing aspect of the class. “I like to write and share stories with Ms. Brown.
She really reads my stories because she will ask me about it later.”
Forming relationships with students and parents. Ms. Brown got to know the
families through home visits. She visited each family at the beginning of every school
year. She also made an effort to attend all after-school functions, such as Science and
Literacy Night. “If a student is performing in a play or playing in sport, I will be in the
front row cheering them on.” Aside from attending after-school events, Ms. Brown also
tried to get to know her students by having meaningful conversations with them during
recess and lunchtime.
Both students in Ms. Brown’s class felt she did a good job at getting to know
them. Alex recalled seeing his teacher at his football game. “She came with her family.
It was very cool because I got to meet her son. She always talks about him in class.”
Data Analysis
By analyzing the responses from the interviews, the following themes emerged
from the coded responses from teachers and students. The themes emerged by using the
most common responses expressed by the participants in the study.
52
Theme One: Setting High Expectations and Caring. Questions 12-14 and 49 revealed this
theme.
All four teachers showed they cared about students’ academic success by
explicitly mentioning their expectations in class, setting high academic goals, not
allowing students to make excuses, celebrating success, and pushing students to give their
best effort. Mrs. Riviera, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Castillo celebrate everyone’s successes by
having lunch with their class every Friday to celebrate the hard work displayed during the
week. Mrs. Miller celebrated everyone’s success by bringing a special treat or showing a
silly video clip during lunchtime on Fridays. All the teachers mentioned their students
knew when their efforts were appreciated. Each of the teachers and students showed
genuine care and respect toward each other.
All the teachers mentioned the importance of sharing their own personal academic
journey with the class. Mrs. Riviera shared the story of immigrating to the United States,
not knowing English, and working hard to succeed in school. She wanted to be a teacher
to prove success was attainable to anyone who never gives up. Ms. Brown made constant
references to teaching being a second career for her. This shows her students’ goals can
be set at any age. This created a classroom environment in which students felt safe to
share and valued as members of the class.
Theme Two: Validating Culture and Culture Matters. Questions 17, 33-35, 45-46 referred
to how teachers felt students’ cultures matter in the school, and how student cultures were
incorporated into the curriculum.
53
The four teachers felt their culture helped them as a teacher. Mr. Castillo
mentioned that both of his parents were immigrants who spoke Spanish. He grew up
hearing two languages at home. He understood the struggles his students went through,
especially those who came from homes where the norm is a lack in parental support in
schoolwork due to language barriers. Ms. Brown attended the same training as Mr.
Castillo. She also felt the training was valuable and “wished they offered it sooner.” She
felt the training validated what she was already doing in her classroom. Mrs. Miller felt
her culture helped her identify the differences of other cultures, which helped her be more
understanding and open to students of diversity.
Every teacher suggested that more culturally relevant practices should be
introduced early on in credential programs. All four teachers attended a culturally
relevant teaching training offered through the district. The teachers highly recommended
the training for all teachers interested in gaining background knowledge on this
pedagogy. One common theme among all the teachers was the importance of being
flexible with teaching practices, not to embrace an entire theory fully, but to continue to
learn and evolve with each passing class. Mrs. Miller believes, “cultural proficiency is an
essential quality for teachers in urban schools to have.” She strongly felt all interested
teachers should continue to educate themselves as the diversity in schools change. “We
as teachers must continue to change and adjust our practices to meet the high needs of our
wonderful students.”
54
Theme Three: Cooperative Learning/Group Based Projects. Questions 18 and 42-44
refers to classroom practices teachers utilize to make learning more meaningful for their
students.
All four teachers used inquiry-based learning projects where students collaborate
on projects centered around a theme. The projects were based on the interests of the
students and sometimes involved the use of technology in Mr. Castillo’s class. Mrs.
Riviera believed in “providing numerous formats for students to practice skills or
concepts. Students are allowed to choose activities and how they want to work. All of
this should occur, while keeping the learning modalities and cultural preferences of
students in mind.”
Theme Four: Building Relationships with Students and Parents. Questions 13-14, 20-23,
and 35 on the teacher interviews asked teachers about how they build relationships with
their students and their families.
All four of the teachers strongly believed in getting to know their students outside
the classroom setting. Three of the students mentioned seeing their teachers out shopping
in the neighborhood, attending after-school functions, and even attending some of their
athletic games. Overwhelmingly, the teachers felt it was important to engage in
meaningful conversations, not particularly related to academics. The teachers often used
non-instructional minutes to engage in meaningful conversations with their students, such
as recess, before and after school, and lunchtime. Teachers revealed that it does require
“more effort from teachers to get to know their students on a personal level, but the
55
commitment to excellence you receive in return is amazing.” The students in the study
noticed when a teacher spent additional time to “get to know them.” In addition, students
stated they particularly liked when teachers “share things about their lives” with the class.
This helped students get to know their teacher better as a person as well.
All four teachers mentioned home visits as a way to build relationships with the
families of their students. Mrs. Riviera described home visits as a bridge connecting
home and school. Through home visits, Mr. Castillo was able to “gain a deeper
understanding of his students appreciate the struggles they go through.” All of the
teachers mentioned they did not live in the community in which they taught for varying
reasons. Ms. Brown and Mrs. Riviera already owned a home in an established
neighborhood before working at the current school site. Mr. Castillo and Mrs. Miller
chose not to live in their school neighborhood, so they could have “privacy and space.”
Home visits helped them get into the community and into the hearts of the families.
All four teachers mentioned that parental involvement in the classroom was
lacking at their school; however, they had all forged relationships with parents outside the
classroom setting through home visits, conferences, informal visits, and attendance of
school-related events, such as science night, literacy day, or jog-a-thons. All four
teachers mentioned using translators if the parent’s primary language was not English.
Mr. Castillo, Ms. Brown, and Mrs. Miller tried their best to understand and converse with
parents when English was not the primary language. They did not feel their cultural
insights were helpful in communicating with the families.
56
Summary
The researcher found several underlying themes to be consistent with culturally
relevant teaching practices: building relationships with students and parents, setting high
expectations, providing meaningful learning experiences, and culture relevancy matters.
The findings from this study will contribute to the available literature on teacher-student
perceptions of culturally relevant practices. They will also contribute toward gaining a
more in-depth understanding of what types of collegiate courses are required for teaching
credential students as well as existing professional teachers through professional
development trainings. Most importantly, this research will help teachers manage their
classrooms better to create a deeper connection with their students of mutual respect,
care, and community, thus improving the overall experience in school.
In conclusion, data from student and teacher interviews for this study helped the
researcher gain a better insight about how teachers implement culturally relevant
practices and how students perceive those practices. The benefits of enacting a culturally
relevant classroom can impact students in positive ways. The positive relationships
students have with their peers and teachers can lead them to have greater success in
school. Further discussion of these findings will take place in the following chapter, as
well as a plan for training and professional development training for teachers.
57
Chapter 5
CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This research was designed to investigate current teaching practices of
experienced elementary school teachers. This research is important because student
achievement highly depends on how teachers organize and manage the classroom. It is
also important because urban schools need to recruit and retain new teachers, particularly
those who are highly effective, and it is important for future teachers to be able to
manage classrooms in urban settings since many new teachers will begin their career in
urban classrooms. However, more work remains in building a better understanding of
how culturally relevant practices are implemented in the classroom.
The literature and research regarding recent trends in culturally relevant practices
were reviewed before preparing the questionnaires for students and teachers. The themes
of the questions focused on the qualities of culturally relevant practices. The interviews
explored the culturally relevant practices of urban teacher and the perspective of
elementary students in regards to culturally relevant practices since much of the literature
found was based on the experiences of middle school and high school students.
Limitations
The following factors limited the interpretation of data. Although the teachers
and students were told their interview responses would be confidential, those who
participated may have withheld information or adjusted their responses that could have
influenced the findings and conclusions of the research. Another limitation was the
58
researcher worked at one of the school sites; therefore, the researcher already knew the
teachers and students being interviewed. Hence, there was a risk of bias. In addition,
only sixth grade students were used, since much of the literature was focused on middle
school to high school students. Next, due to time, the perspective of the parents were not
included in this study, which may have yielded a better understanding of how culturally
relevant practices extend beyond the classroom. Lastly, this study provides data for
questions for new research and the research limited the data collection to only teachers
who taught sixth grade at the time of the study. This research is primarily based on
investigating the culturally relevant classroom management practices most often used by
experienced teachers in urban schools.
Conclusions
In this study, four teachers and six students from two urban schools in Northern
California were studied in order to explore practices that were successful to them. The
research conducted in the study indicates several factors contribute to the academic and
social success of students in urban schools. Teachers and students who participated in
the study revealed a number of positive practices that impact the academic and social
achievement of students attending urban schools, which parallel the theory of culturally
relevant teaching.
Through the interviews with the teachers and students, several themes emerged as
effective strategies for positively educating students in urban schools. The teachers all
considered students’ cultures to be vital in the classroom environment. Teachers believed
59
culture to be an asset that can be built upon to aide students in the educational process.
The process of building relationships with students and their families was also an
important practice. Teachers continued to reiterate the fact that working with the parents
was a valuable partnership. The end goal is to work together to help students achieve
academically in schools. Another theme that continued to unveil was differentiating of
instruction to provide multiple opportunities for students to learn. One way was through
cooperative learning through group work, projects, and research projects. The final
emergent theme was how each teacher believed in setting high expectations for students
to attain.
Recommendations and Suggestions for Future Research
As the cultural diversity in urban schools continues to change, the approach to
culturally teaching practices will also change. Due to the complex dynamics of urban
schools, this research proved valuable to any teacher interested in learning about
classroom management practices taking place in urban schools today. This particular
study examined four teachers and six students over the course of a trimester. Replicating
this study with the same group of teachers in five or so years may yield an evolving
perspective of culturally relevant teaching practices. Due to current budgetary cuts in the
school district, professional development opportunities geared toward culturally relevant
proficiency have been placed on hold. Therefore, more research in this area will help
college credential programs better prepare incoming teachers for working with students at
urban schools.
60
APPENDICES
61
APPENDIX A
Teacher and Student Questionnaires
Teacher Interview Questions
1.
How many years have you been teaching?
2.
How long have you been teaching at this school? Describe the diversity of the
staff.
3.
How many years have you been teaching the sixth grade?
4.
What other grades, if any, have you taught in your career?
5.
Why are you teaching 6th graders now? Is it your own personal choice?
6.
From which college did you graduate and in what field was your degree?
7.
From which credential program did you graduate and was the program in
Multiple Subjects or Single Subject?
8.
What specializations, if any, do you have?
9.
In what languages other than English are you fluent?
10.
Where were you born?
11.
Describe the amount of travel outside the United States that you have had?
12.
What is your philosophy of teaching?
13.
How do you show your students that you care about them on a personal level?
14.
How do you show your students that you care about their success academically?
15.
What are some qualities that you enjoy about 6th graders?
16.
What are some qualities that you find difficult about 6th graders?
17.
Do you feel your culture helps you as a teacher? If so, how?
62
18.
What kinds of strategies have you implemented that foster the academic of your
students?
19.
What kinds of strategies have you implemented that foster the social success of
your students?
20.
What is the ideal amount of parental involvement for a student in your class?
21.
What is the average amount of parental involvement that your students have in
their lives?
22.
What kinds of relationships have you had with the parents of students in your
class?
23.
How have you been able to communicate with parents in a language other than
English?
24.
How have your own cultural insights made a difference in working with parents?
25.
How did you learn about Culturally Relevant/Responsive Teaching (CRT)?
26.
Describe your training in CRT?
27.
How much training have you had in CRT?
28.
Describe the classroom management system that you use in your classroom.
29.
Why have you chosen this system over others?
30.
How do you feel schooling is different for students who have teachers who
implement CRT from those who do not?
31.
What evidence do you have for holding such a view?
32.
What are the most important characteristics of CRT?
33.
How do you respond to the academic needs of your culturally and ethnically
diverse students?
34.
How do you respond to the social needs of your culturally and ethnically diverse
students?
63
35.
What are some ways you form relationships with your students?
36.
How do you establish a classroom community based on respect for diversity?
37.
In what ways do you enhance the state mandated curriculum to advocate social
change?
38.
Do you feel your teacher preparation program adequately prepared you in CRT?
If yes, how, if no, why not?
39.
Do you live in the community in which you teach? Why or why not?
40.
How do you give back to the community in which you teach?
41.
Do your students have the opportunity to witness your involvement in their
community? If so, how?
42.
What types of ways do you differentiate instruction in your classroom?
43.
Were there ways you've tried in the past that did not did not work due to the
linguistic or cultural differences of your students?
44.
What types of projects do you assign to interest your students in the curriculum?
45.
How have you incorporated cultural/current event issues into your curriculum?
46.
How do you feel a child's culture plays influences the learning process?
Give some examples of how this is experience in your classroom.
47.
Respond to the following comments.
"CRT is just really good teaching. Every teacher uses CRT when he/she is
successful in promoting the academic and social success of their students. No
special training can make someone a really good teacher. Someone either is or
not. Thus, really good teachers always implement and practice CRT."
48. Respond to the following comments.
“The mandated curriculum restricts much of what I would like to do in terms of
adapting my teaching to meet the needs of my students. There is so much
standardization, pressure to increase test scores, and administrative oversight that
it is safer for me and my students if I just teach toward the tests.”
64
49.
50.
How do you show students that you care about their education?
In what ways do you make learning meaningful for your students?
51.
Describe the feel of your classroom.
52.
What are the main rules in your classroom? What happens if a rule is broken?
53.
What additional comments would you like to make about CRT?
65
Student Interview Questions
Questions for Students
Full Name:
Birthday:
Ethnicity:
Home Language:
Fluent in which languages:
Special Interests:
_________________________________________________
1. How much do you enjoy school?
Very Little
Some
A Lot
2. How much do you think you learn at school?
Very little
Some A lot
3. How much is this class different from the other classes you have been in?
Very little
Some A lot
4. How much does your teacher differ from other teachers you have had?
Very little
Some
A lot
5. How well does your teacher know you as a person?
Very little
Some A lot
6. How much of what is important to you is taught in class?
Very little some a lot
7. What is important to you?
8. What are some ways your teacher shows that he/she cares about you as a person?
9. What are some ways your teacher shows that he/she cares about you doing well in
school academically?
10. What positive characteristics do sixth graders have?
11. What negative characteristics do sixth graders have?
12. What is your teacher’s culture?
13. How do you know what her culture is?
66
14. What culture are you from?
15. Have you learned about your culture at school? If so, in what ways? If not, what
do you think you have not learned about it at school?
16. What are two activities that you do in class that help you succeed academically?
17. What are two activities that you do in class that help you make friends?
18. Has your parent or guardian ever met your teacher? If so, did it make a
difference in any way?
19. If you were not doing well in school, my parent or guardian would:
Wait for my teacher to contact him/her before doing anything
Go to my teacher before being contacted by him/her
20. How well does your parent or guardian know your teacher?
Very little
Some
a lot
21. In what language would your parent or guardian like to speak to your teacher?
22. Can your teacher speak this language?
23. How many times has your parent or guardian been to school this year?
24. What were the reasons for your parent or guardian going to school?
25. What kinds of activities do you participate in outside of school?
26. Has your teacher ever attended any of your outside activities? If so, how many
and which ones?
27. What are the rules in your classroom?
28. What happens if a rule is broken?
29. Do you think your teacher applies the rules fairly? If so, why. If not, why
30. Does your teacher know you well enough to notice when you are upset and need
some extra attention? If so, give an example.
67
31. What does your teacher do when you need more help with your schoolwork? Do
you ask for help? If so, how often. If not, why?
32. What does your teacher do to make sure a few students don’t ruin a lesson for
others by misbehaving in some way?
33. If a lesson isn’t that interesting, does your teacher do something to try to make it
more interesting? If so, what?
34. Do you ever see your teacher away from school? If so, how often? If so, where?
35. How well does your teacher knows about your culture?
Very little
Some A lot
36. If your teacher knows about your culture some or a lot, how does it help with how
well you do in school?
37. Have you ever heard of the term “culturally relevant teaching?” If so, what does
it mean? (If not, give a definition to the student)
38. If so, how much culturally relevant teaching happens in your classroom?
Very little
Some
A lot
39. If so, give some examples of how it has happened in your classroom?
40. Has it made any difference in how much you like school? If so, how?
41. Has it made any difference in how well you do in school? If so, how?
42. What are some things that your teacher does to make learning interesting or fun?
43. What makes your teacher different from the other teachers you’ve had in the
past?
44. Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your experience in school
this year?
68
APPENDIX B
Consent Forms
Consent to Participate in Research for Teachers
You are being asked to participate in research which will be conducted by Jaime Lam, a
graduate student in the Department of Teacher Education at California State University,
Sacramento. The purpose of the study is to investigate teaching practices of experienced
teachers in urban schools. You will be given a questionnaire with 40-50 questions.
This procedure is completely safe and is not associated with any known health risks.
The study will benefit current and future teachers better understand their students. It will
also help teachers better serve their students in the education system.
Your participation will be completely confidential. Your name and school will not be
named in the research.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Jaime Lam at
(916)xxx-xxxx.
You may decline to be a participant in this study without any consequences. Your
signature below indicates that you have read this page and agree to participate in the
research.
Sincerely,
Jaime Lam
Teacher/Graduate Student
________________________________
Signature of Participant
____________________
Date
69
Consent form for Children
Agreement to Participate in Research
Ms. J. Lam at Sacramento State is asking for your participation in a project that I am
doing for my college class. You will be asked 40-45 questions during your interview. I
will be typing down your response while you answer the questions. Your name and
school will not be known to others. The answers of your interview will be used to help
future and current teachers better help their students.
Your parents have already been asked whether it is alright with them for you to be in this
research, but if you decide not to participate, no one will be upset with you. Please write
your name and today’s date on the line below if you are willing to be in the research.
Sincerely,
Jaime Lam
Teacher/Graduate Student
________________________________
Name
____________________
Date
70
APPENDIX C
Parental Permission Form
Your child is being asked to participate in research which will be conducted by Ms. J.
Lam, a graduate student in the Department of Teacher Education at California State
University, Sacramento. The purpose of the study is to investigate teaching practices of
teachers in urban schools.
Your child will be interviewed during recess, after-school, or recreational time. I will be
asking your child 40-45 questions.
This procedure is completely safe and is not associated with any known health risks.
The study will benefit current and future teachers better understand their students. It will
also help teachers better serve their students in the education system.
Your child’s participation will be completely confidential. Your child’s name and school
will not be named in the research.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Jaime Lam at
(916)xxx-xxxx.
You may decline to have your child be a participant in this study without any
consequences. Your signature below indicates that you have read this page and agree to
have your child participate in the research.
Sincerely,
Jaime Lam
Teacher/Graduate Student
______________________________
Signature of Parent/Guardian
____________________
Date
71
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