Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) was birthed from the framework of multicultural education. Multicultural Education is a broad framework that focuses on equity amongst race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, disabilities, and other groups who identified as marginalized. Culturally responsive teaching encompasses the ability to acknowledge cultural differences, expand diversity of thought, all while having a caring relationship with students. The literature says that both of the multicultural education and CRT, help foster inclusive classrooms and spaces on campus. CRT also notes that a teacher’s ability to care about students influences positive outcomes for learning. For the last 30 years, CRT has been studied from the perspective of K-12 students. While this research is important the researcher argues that culturally responsive teaching is needed at the university. All research questions for this study were created through the lens of multicultural education, CRT, and Nodding’s Caring Theory. Since CRT is typically examined with minority students only, the researcher explored both minority and White students at Mississippi State University to understand if the techniques were equitable and inclusive for all learners. A total of eight focus groups were held between Fall 2017 to Fall 2019 with 39 total participants, undergraduate (n=28) and graduate students (n= 11). Participants included mostly minority students (n=21) and females (n= 21). While there were some major differences between undergraduate and graduate CRT experiences, there were more commonalities that arose when theming occurred. Students from all focus groups were able to identify at least five out of the six characteristics of culturally responsive teaching; however, minority students were able to talk about feelings of exclusion inside and outside of the classroom, as it pertained to the racial and ethnic identity. Minority students were better able to identify what culturally responsive teaching means and what it looks like in practice. Minority students were also more reflective in their responses around feeling included and excluded both inside and outside of the classroom. All students wanted a teacher that cared for them and to make the course material relevant to their lives.

This qualitative study sought to understand community college faculty’s perceptions of and experiences with culturally responsive teaching. Participants were full- and part-time faculty currently employed at community colleges in the Southeastern United States and purposefully selected to provide information-rich data. Data collected from the semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the participants were coded and thematically analyzed. Emerging themes included faculty’s inclusion of varied categories of cultural diversity when describing students; limited knowledge related to culturally responsive teaching; perception that culturally responsive teaching is centered on connecting and building relationships with students; belief in the value of providing students exposure to different cultures; perception that culturally responsive teaching increases students’ employability; perception of numerous challenges with the implementation of culturally responsive teaching; identification of current strategies they believed reflected culturally responsive teaching practice; recognition of the need for more professional development related to culturally responsive teaching; desire for professional development experiences with practical strategies; and identification of the challenges related to professional development. The findings may inform community colleges’ implementation of culturally responsive teaching and related professional development, as well indicate areas where more research about culturally responsive teaching in community colleges is needed.

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The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies that middle school teachers utilize when incorporating culturally responsive pedagogy and practices to build positive relationships with students and families while building and maintaining positive student-peer relationships in the classroom. This qualitative study design, conducted in an urban public-school division in central Virginia, employed a teacher interview protocol questionnaire featuring open-ended questions. The primary objective was to investigate how middle school teachers utilize and incorporate culturally responsive pedagogical practices to build and maintain positive relationships with students, families, and peers. The resulting findings indicated teachers established cultural awareness and diversity to build and maintain relationships, communicated effectively through conferencing and discussions with their students, and communicated effectively through emails and in-person with their students' families. Teachers used multiple communication strategies for parent involvement, such as phone calls, text messages, emails, conferences, and social media. Students sharing life experiences during discussion helped them understand the material and establish classroom culture and diversity. Thus, implications indicated school divisions and building administrators should continually participate in cultural competence training, provide teachers with professional development to establish regular and consistent communication channels with students' families to build positive relationships, provide teachers with professional development to implement culturally responsive pedagogy, provide time for teachers to incorporate open-ended questions and alternative perspectives into lessons to stimulate critical thinking, and building-level administrators should foster a school culture that embraces diverse values by establishing and consistently reinforcing clear expectations of respect for all students and adults. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies that middle school teachers utilize when incorporating culturally responsive pedagogy and practices to build positive relationships with students and families while building and maintaining positive student-peer relationships in the classroom. The synthesis of the literature review and the results of this study may perhaps provide information that would support middle school teachers not only with the ability to build relationships with their students and their families and positive peer relationships but also improve cultural knowledge to increase and enhance academic achievement and decrease discipline concerns. A qualitative study design was used in one urban public-school division in the central region of Virginia, which incorporated a teacher interview protocol questionnaire with open-ended questions. The researcher sought to examine: How do middle school teachers utilize and incorporate culturally responsive pedagogical practices to build and maintain positive relationships with students, families, and peers? An analysis of the responses to the interview questionnaire from the middle school teachers revealed strategies used consistently and inconsistently throughout the sample. From the findings, implications for practices and recommendations for future studies were supplied.

Analysis of multiple data sources revealed a prevalent gap between high school and middle school African American students and their White counterparts in mathematics. Based on these data and a gap in the literature, further research was needed regarding how the mathematics performance of African American students is influenced by culturally responsive leadership and culturally responsive teaching. The purpose of this study was to determine if culturally responsive behaviors of high school and middle school principals influence the behaviors of mathematics teachers resulting in building conceptual understanding of their students; and, how teachers' culturally responsive actions impact the mathematics performance of African American students. The research questions guiding this qualitative study were (1) To what extent, if any, do principals at the high school and middle school levels that exemplify culturally responsive leadership influence mathematics teachers' use of culturally responsive teaching that results in building conceptual understanding in mathematics? and, (2) To what extent, if any, do culturally responsive teaching practices impact the mathematics performance of African American students at the high school and middle levels? The results indicated that the purposive sample of high school and middle school principals (n = 7) exhibited critical consciousness (self-awareness) and interrelationships amongst teachers and students; communication and being present; and, data- driven decision-making. The purposive sample of high school and middle school mathematics teachers (n = 23) exhibited content knowledge that allowed for differentiated instruction inclusive of building conceptual understanding through multiple mathematical representations; and, engaged their students in mathematical discourse requiring students to reason and justify their solutions. Thus, such actions created a familial-like atmosphere inherent in optimal learning environments for African American students. Students with culturally responsive teachers performed better on division-wide assessments, with the effect of reducing the achievement gap between African American and White students compared to teachers not self-identified as having high levels of cultural responsiveness with results statistically significant at the 0.01 level after conducting a two-proportions z-test. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to determine if culturally responsive behaviors of high school and middle school principals influence the behaviors of mathematics teachers resulting in building conceptual understanding of their students; and, how teachers' culturally responsive actions impact the mathematics performance of African American students. The synthesis of the literature review and the results of this study could provide information that would assist school leaders and teachers in not only understanding their respective roles impacting and influencing the mathematics performance of African American students at the high school and middle school levels, but also understanding the pedagogical, conceptual understanding, and leadership practices and factors that can lead to this improvement. A qualitative study design was used in one urban Virginia school division encompassing a preliminary screening of high school and middle school principals and mathematics teachers; observations of high school and middle school principals and mathematics teachers; and, a culminating culturally responsive leadership practices survey. The researcher sought to examine (1) To what extent, if any, do principals at the high school and middle school levels that exemplify culturally responsive leadership influence mathematics teachers' use of culturally responsive teaching that results in building conceptual understanding in mathematics? and, (2) To what extent, if any, do culturally responsive teaching practices impact the mathematics performance of African American students at the high school and middle levels? Data from division-wide assessments demonstrated that the students of culturally responsive teachers performed better and with a reduced achievement gap between African American and White students compared to teachers not having self-identified with high levels of cultural responsiveness. Observations from the high school and middle school principals and mathematics teachers revealed specific behaviors and strategies used consistently across the sample. From the findings, implications for practices and recommendations for future studies were rendered.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Margaret G. Shroyer / Complex social, racial, economic, and political issues involved in the practice of teaching today require beginning teachers to be informed, skilled, and culturally responsive when entering the classroom. Teacher educators must educate future teachers in ways that will help them teach all children regardless of language, cultural background, or prior knowledge. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) novice teachers described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students’ cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in science and mathematics instruction. This qualitative exploratory case study considered the culturally responsive teaching practices of 12, non-traditional, Latina/o students as they progressed through a distance-based collaborative teacher education program. Qualitative techniques used throughout this exploratory case study investigated cultural responsiveness of these student teachers as they demonstrated their abilities to: a) integrate content and construct knowledge; b) illustrate social justice and prejudice reduction; and c) develop students academically during science and mathematics instruction. In conclusion, student teachers participating in this study demonstrated their ability to integrate content by: (1) including content from other cultures, (2) building positive teacher-student relationships, and (3) holding high expectations for all students. They also demonstrated their ability to facilitate knowledge construction by building on what students knew. Since there is not sufficient data to support the student teachers’ abilities to assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways of knowing, no conclusions regarding this subtheme could be drawn. Student teachers in this study illustrated prejudice reduction by: (1) using native language support to assist students in learning and understanding science and math content, (2) fostering positive student-student interactions, and (3) creating a safe learning environment. Results also indicated that these student teachers demonstrated their ability to develop students academically by creating opportunities for learning in the classroom through their knowledge of students and by the use of research-based instructional strategies. However, based on the data collected as part of this study, the student teachers’ abilities to illustrate or model social justice during science and math instruction were not demonstrated.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Secondary Education / Jacqueline D. Spears / Moses & Cobb (2001) argue that algebra is a “civil right” and assert that limited algebraic understanding has an unfavorable impact on African American students’ entry into post-secondary education. Gay (2000) outlines six pedagogical methods, known as culturally responsive teaching (CRT), which emphasize the importance of teachers creating learning environments that relate to the personal experiences and cultural perspectives of minority students. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) prescribes five process standards (communication, problem solving, connections, representation, and reasoning and proof) and the Equity Principle (includes setting high expectations, responding to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students, and providing support) for effective mathematics instruction. CRT, the NCTM Process Standards, and the NCTM Equity Principle served as the conceptual framework for this mixed-method study. Thirty-four teachers from two elementary and two middle schools in one school district in the Midwest responded to The Powell Teaching Mathematics Index (PTMI), a five-option Likert survey that explored teachers’ current “use” and “desire” to use CRT methods, NCTM process standards, NCTM Equity Principle, and teachers’ personal efficacy in learning and teaching mathematics in general and in algebra. Results from the PTMI revealed that teachers had a “desire” to use CRT in mathematics with AA students (M=4.41, SD=0.70); and although there was more variance among respondents, teachers also reported a “desire” to use process standards in algebra with AA students (M=3.94, SD=1.03). One bivariate correlation revealed a relationship between “use” of process standards in general and “efficacy” (r =0.681, p[less than or equal to]0.01). Eight volunteer teachers participated in a professional development workshop on CRT and integrated one of the six pedagogical methods into their classrooms for one month. Teachers reported “strengths” from the implementation phase as: increased student engagement, transition from teacher-directed to student-directed learning and an increase in student confidence in mathematics. Implementation “strains” were reported as: a time consuming process, difficulty in providing individual attention and an increase in classroom noise level. Findings have implications for teacher education programs, local school district and teacher networks.

This report addresses the importance of multicultural education in early childhood classrooms as well as three essential practices for early childhood educators who value multicultural perspectives. The early childhood classroom is the first place in which children develop their identities and recognize cultural differences. Multicultural education can offer opportunities for children to value and understand cultural diversity as they have more experiences outside of their homes and neighborhoods. While there are many kinds of practices that support a multicultural perspective, this paper focuses on three multicultural practices that early childhood educators can incorporate in their classrooms in order to create authentic multicultural classrooms and to promote multiculturalism. The three practices are 1) integrating culturally relevant pedagogy/culturally responsive teaching, 2) understanding multicultural families, and 3) pursuing social justice. These practices can help early childhood educators better understand multicultural students and families and have more meaningful interactions and partnership opportunities with them. / text

The purpose of this research study was to explore how the significance of place serves as a part of Indigenous—specifically Diné (Navajo)—education cultural responsiveness in the art classroom. Further, objectives of the study included learning how North American art teacher educators can more effectively weave Indigenous understandings of place into pre-service art teacher education to benefit Indigenous learners' needs. I employed a qualitative approach to this study using multiple methodologies: ethnography, phenomenology, an Indigenous research methodology, and arts-based research. Through personal interviews with six participants—two Diné artists, two art teacher educators, and two unfamiliar art teachers new to reservation-serving schools—I sought to locate culturally situated perspectives and values. The goal of the interviews was to gather ideas about the significance of place, about relationships between place and art, and about art teacher preparation for teaching in Diné-serving schools. The design of the study also included new unfamiliar non-Diné art teacher preconceptions and in-situ learning experiences of teaching on the reservation. Beyond the participant interviews, I engaged an arts-based exploration of my experiences with Diné people as an outsider/insider member of the Diné community. The artwork I created also helped weave together data from participant interviews. Findings from the Diné artist participants suggested that places hold significance in Diné culture, art making, and the display or use of art. According to Diné epistemological perspective, place is more than just a physical location, and different from some mainstream ideas about place. For Diné interviewees, place is a container of aspects of life such as energies, nature, spirits, people, and a multitude of other significances, some tangible and some intangible. Findings from interviews with art teacher educators of other Indigenous groups also indicated that place is significant to many Native American peoples, and the idea of that significance is difficult to transmit to Euro-American pre-service teachers. Interviews also indicate that focusing teaching education on social justice theories and employing Native American art and artists can assist in the preparation of pre-service art teachers to teach in reservation or pueblo communities. However, there are deeply rooted cultural concepts that come into play once the new teacher reaches her/his teaching assignment community. Lastly, findings revealed that new unfamiliar art teachers experience a number of obstacles upon entering Diné communities when their prior understandings about the place is limited. Challenges include understanding acceptable cultural observances, student proclivities, and art making practices. Understanding significance of place, stereotyping concerns, and positionality challenges are among the themes that arose as a result of cross-participant analyses. The implications of this research study advocate for: a) building further knowledge about educating pre-service teachers about cultural relevance, stereotyping, and positionality in Native American-serving art classrooms; b) the need for continued cultural learning and mentoring in-situ; and c) the need for unfamiliar art teachers to develop culturally relevant teaching practices with the help of people in the community.