Who am I?: culturally relevant pedagogy and the quest to transform teacher beliefs through professional development

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Rodney L. Boone (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Ulrich Reitzug

Abstract: The focus of this qualitative research study was to examine the impact professional development had on teachers’ perceptions and practices after participating in monthly year-long culturally relevant pedagogy and Common Core professional development. Culturally relevant pedagogy is the use of “cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (Gay, 2002, p. 29). The study described the experiences and practices of teachers before and after their participation in culturally relevant pedagogy professional development. Teachers were asked to describe in rich detail their interpretations, perceptions, and practices related to how they teach and build relationships with their students and parents, and their attitudes toward students of color and students experiencing generational and situational poverty. The participants were staff members at an elementary school in an urban school district in the southeastern region of the U.S. Participants were interviewed and completed a pre-and post-survey. The study describes the benefits of the culturally relevant pedagogy professional development from the perspective of the study participants. Barriers that hindered study participants from implementing culturally relevant pedagogy are highlighted as well. Based on these findings, recommendations for further study and policies to support educators as they learn and implement culturally relevant pedagogy are provided.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2016
Keywords
Achievement gap, Culturally relevant pedagogy, Culturally responsive pedagogy, Multicultural education, Professional development
Subjects
Elementary school teachers $x In-service training
Culturally relevant pedagogy
Multicultural education
Academic achievement

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