Enhancing Class Content and Structure at a Historically Black College/University Using Culturally Relevant Material and Constructive Controversy

• In Event: Promoting Gap-Closing Outcomes for Diverse Learners Through Asset-Based Teaching

Abstract

Disparities in higher education enrollment and completion rates between Black and White students highlight the need for research to enhance academic performance for college students that may be at risk of academic failure. Using culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995b) and social interdependence theory (Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Johnson & Johnson, 2009a) as the theoretical frameworks, the current study sought to understand how learning is impacted by the use of culturally relevant material and constructive controversy activities. Students’ learning outcomes were predicted to be enhanced when pedagogical strategies included making evident the connections between the material and students’ personal lives as well as incorporating interpersonal learning activities in which students play active roles in constructing their own understanding.
Eighty-six participants attended a simulated psychology lecture on the ways in which behaviors can shape attitudes. Lectures varied the cultural relevance of the material; examples that accompanied the conceptual information were either personally relevant to the sample or they were not. Further, the structure of the lecture was manipulated such that participants attended either a traditional lecture or one that involved learning through constructive controversy, a cooperative learning activity. After the lecture, participants studied for a brief period and then took a comprehension assessment. Students’ also rated their perceived engagement during the lecture and their interest in the material.
An ANOVA determined that participants learned more when the lecture was culturally relevant (M = 61.63, s = 2.29) than when it was not (M = 64.91, s = 2.12), F(1, 76) = 4.65, p = .034 (see Figure 1). Contrary to hypotheses, learning the material while participating in constructive controversy activities resulted in lower assessment results (M = 52.70, s = 2.24) compared to the traditional lecture format (M = 63.85, s = 2.17), F(1, 76) = 12.804, p = .001, (see Figure 2). A MANOVA determined participants in the culturally relevant, traditional lectures reported higher levels of interest in the lecture (M = 17.84, s = 1.02) than participants in the non-culturally relevant, traditional lectures (M = 13.34, s = 0.93), F(1, 64) = 4.67, p = .035, (see Figure 3). Further, participants in the culturally relevant, traditional lecture reported higher perceived engagement (M = 18.50, s = 1.11) than those in the non-culturally relevant traditional lectures (M = 14.13, s = 0.95) and in culturally relevant, constructive controversy lectures (M = 14.45, s = 1.01), F(1, 64) = 6.92, p = .011 (see Figure 4).
Findings from the current study suggest that traditional lectures allow the instructor to ensure that the cultural relevance of the material is made salient to students, so they find it more interesting and more likely to learn. The current study demonstrated that topics that do not directly discuss culture can still have students’ cultural backgrounds imbedded into the lecture so that it is still relatable and interesting. Such results provide insight for educators of HBCU students regarding effective techniques that can be generalized to course topics not inherently related to students’ cultures.
Parents’ conceptions of everyday choices for children

Author

• Chastity McFarlan, Capstone Institute at Howard University