From Abstractions to Actions: Supporting Teacher Effectiveness Through the Culturally Relevant Student Perspective Survey

• In Event: Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers for Equity-Oriented Classrooms: How Do We Evaluate Their Effectiveness and Our Own?

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes
This study utilized a social constructivist approach (Vygotsky, 1981) to engage urban, Latinx students as key stakeholders. The purpose of this study was twofold: to make room for stakeholder’s voices in empirical research and to explore dialogical relationships between teachers and students. The following where the research questions this study hoped to answer: 1) What are student perceptions of culturally relevant pedagogy? 2) How do teachers respond to student perceptions of culturally relevant pedagogy? 3) What attitudes do teachers hold towards student perceptions of culturally relevant pedagogy?
Perspectives/Theoretical Framework
Conceptualization of the study was built around a theoretical framework blending culturally relevant/responsive pedagogy and critical race theory (Brown-Jeffy & Cooper, 2011). The work of Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995), Sonia Nieto (2010), and Geneva Gay (2000) provided the theoretical lens and developed a space for discourse based upon inquiry, dialogue, and shared power (Freire 1970).
Methods, Techniques, Modes of Inquiry
Particularistic case study was utilized to capture what happens in an urban classroom when students evaluate teacher effectiveness based upon a culturally relevant framework. Multiple data points collected at different moments in time allowed for triangulation. Data was collected prior to the Culturally Relevant Student Perspective Survey (CRSPS), immediately following the CRSPS, and two months after the CRSPS.
Data sources, evidence
Data collection took place in a school site serves a population with 91% Latinx students. The high school reflected the racial gap currently seen in many of our urban schools due to only 18% of teachers identifying as a person of color. In addition, the school serves a student population with approximately 75% English Secondary Language (ESL).
Participants consisted of sophomore students and four teachers who self-identify as White. Due to the nature of the case study, data collection took place over a six-month period, and total of 137 pages of data was collected through interviews, written reflections, and field notes. Data was first examined sequentially by participants. Then modified constant comparison was used for analysis, and the data was mined through categorical aggregations for emerging themes and patterns.
Results
The study demonstrates how students can become agents of change in the classroom. Before the intervention, teachers focused on abstract ideas and had a difficult time identifying tangible classroom practices that reflect CRP. After the intervention, student statements assisted teachers in moving from abstract feelings on CRP to specific responsive actions.
Scholarly significance of the study
This study contributes to the field of education by including the voices of students, which are often neglected in education research, reform, and accountability. This is especially true when the students come from marginalized backgrounds. By engaging with students as stakeholders, both practitioners and researchers can develop partnerships that sustain inclusive practices for evaluating teacher classroom practices and teacher growth.

Author

• Aimee Myers, Texas Woman's University