Speaking Their Language: The Role of Cultural Content Integration and Spanish Language for Academic Achievement Among Latino Children

• In Event: 47.031 - Mixed-Methods Research on Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts

Abstract

Purpose
Asset-based pedagogy (ABP) reflects teacher instructional choices that affirm students’ ethnicity and culture in the classroom (López, 2016). In this study, we examine two enactments of ABPs for Latino children: cultural content integration and honoring heritage language (i.e., Spanish). We also explore teacher beliefs, expectations and critical awareness, as antecedents of ABPs as well as whether ABPs predict students’ mathematics achievement (Figure 1). Finally, we probe how teachers understand the importance and challenges of integrating students’ culture and language in the classroom.
Theoretical framework
This study draws on the intersection of two theoretical perspectives: Social Equity Theory (McKown, 2013), and culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 1995). However, for the present symposium, we emphasize the role of mixed methods integration and triangulation to reveal the nature and nuances of teacher beliefs, pedagogy and outcomes for historically-marginalized students, specifically Mexican-descent Latino children.
Methods and data
Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, we assess mediation and moderation effects between teacher beliefs (n = 33), their ABPs, and the mathematics achievement of 568 Latino children in grades three through five. Next, we use qualitative interviews to probe teachers’ value of cultural content integration, heritage language, and their understanding of how these work together in their instructional practice. We integrated quantitative and qualitative measures and data during three phases: measure creation, data collection, and interpretation of results (Ivankova et al., 2006).
Results
The quantitative data revealed teacher critical awareness, not expectations, predicted their ABPs (cultural content integration and use of Spanish language consecutively), which in turn predicted students’ year-end mathematics achievement. Interestingly, teacher expectations directly and positively predicted mathematics achievement, but failed to predict teachers’ ABPs. However, a moderated mediation analysis revealed critical awareness positively moderated the effect of teacher expectations on ABPs (Figure 2); in that as critical awareness increased, cultural content integration and use of Spanish language became stronger links between teacher expectations and year-end mathematics achievement. The qualitative interviews unearthed consistent but nuanced findings. While all the teachers discussed the importance of cultural content integration and Spanish language, teachers with underspecified critical awareness beliefs were more likely to discuss these practices as a way to promote cultural pride and build classroom community (i.e., socio-engagement goals). However, teachers with more detailed articulations of critical awareness discussed socio-engagement goals, but were also more likely to discuss cultural content integration and Spanish language from a place of utilizing students’ funds of knowledge to make connections to content and support academic learning (i.e., academic goals).
Significance
Altogether, our findings suggest simply having high expectations for historically-marginalized youth may not be enough for enactment of ABPs, rather critical awareness work in concert with high expectations. Although this has been previously theorized (Darder, 2012), little empirical support exists to date. Thereby, this study addresses an important gap in the multicultural and educational psychology literature. The qualitative data confirm and extend the quantitative results, indicating teachers’ critical awareness may relate to their understanding of how and why ABPs are important and ultimately how they are enacted.

Authors

• Jamaal Matthews, Montclair State University

• Francesca Lopez, The University of Arizona