I'm Not Rapping About the Periodic Table: Faculty Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Teaching at a Hispanic-Serving Community College

• In Event: Examining Issues of Language, Culture, and Power Through Culturally Sustaining and Revitalizing Pedagogies

Abstract

Objective
Culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching, and culturally engaging curriculum are terms that may be viewed by some faculty with trepidation. When faculty have not engaged in culturally relevant teaching, the racial undertones of the terms may heighten the apprehension (Gay, 2002). Yet, the empirical research illustrates that such pedagogical and teaching practices could serve as a catalyst for student success, especially for students who are on the periphery of society (Gay, 2002; Ladson-Billings, 1995). Although some tribal colleges and HBCUs have been successful in incorporating culturally relevant and sustaining teaching and curriculum (Conrad & Gasman, 2015), this has been a challenge, particularly for Hispanic serving institutions. This study investigates faculty perceptions of culturally relevant and sustaining teaching practices at a Hispanic serving two-year public institution in the southwest.

Theoretical Framework
Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth model proposes that the different forms of capital that communities of color can bring to institutions of learning could potentially transform the schooling experience. However, we must first acknowledge that such communities possess such wealth rather than viewing them from a deficit perspective and that a school’s curriculum could serve as a catalyst to tap into such wealth. Moreover, we must move beyond acknowledging such capital to sustaining and building students’ cultural wealth (Paris, 2012).

Methods
A mixed-methods approach was used for this study examining faculty’s perceptions of culturally responsive teaching and curriculum in four different areas via a survey including understanding of culturally responsive teaching, self-reported level of preparation to engage in such curriculum and pedagogies, self-efficacy in implementing such curriculum, their interest in pursuing future study in culturally relevant pedagogies and curriculum. Additionally, semi-structured individual interviews were used to explore why some faculty seemed interested in culturally responsive and sustaining teaching while others were resistant and the challenges that they perceived in gaining widespread faculty support for a cultural shift in the institution’s teaching and pedagogical practices.

Results
The majority of faculty lacked knowledge about culturally responsive and sustaining teaching and curricula and felt underprepared to engage in such teaching. There was an overall resistance and dismay that such a shift in the institution’s curricula and pedagogical practices would have a positive effect on student learning, despite the institution embracing a learning college philosophy. However, faculty from diverse backgrounds and/or marginalized groups expressed a greater desire to employ such strategies believing that such practices could indeed positively affect student engagement, persistence and completion.

Significance
There is a need to understand the experiences of community colleges given that they educate nearly half of all college students in the U.S., yet they have some of the lowest success rates when examining persistence, completion and graduation rates (Ma & Baum, 2016). Tinto (2012) has suggested that a relevant curriculum is key to student engagement. As the number of minority serving institutions continues to grow, it is imperative that we examine some of the socio-cultural barriers that institutions may be able to address and administrators and faculty may be able to alter for student success.

Author

• Norma V. Jimenez Hernandez, Estrella Mountain Community College