Building on primary school students’ funds of identity to promote social and personal development

• In Event: European Challenges of Social-Cultural Diversity in Education

Abstract

Socio-cultural diversity in classrooms can result in inequality, when discontinuities between school and home make children lose their interest in school and perform below their abilities. Many theories about this discontinuity emphasize students’ shortcomings. The theory of funds of knowledge (FoK), however, focuses on students’ competences. It makes a plea for building on the skills and knowledge that students acquire in their families, communities, peer groups and through social media and the internet. We collaborated with thirteen primary school teachers, working with a diverse student population, to address the following research question: How can teachers in primary schools with a diverse student population use their students’ funds of knowledge in such a way that this contributes to the social and personal development of students and social cohesion in the classroom?
In the course of a school year the teachers applied several ways of finding and building on the FoK of their students. Data on their teaching activities were collected through a pre-structured logbook and interviews. In order to establish the effects of these activities student data were collected (N= 303) (pretest-posttest control-group design). (Sub)scales from existing questionnaires were used, social network data were collected, and students were interviewed (N= 60).
The quantitative data did not show significant effects. However, teachers and students reported effects on students’ engagement, learning behavior, learning attitudes, collaboration skills, self-confidence, general well-being in the classroom, ambitions and perspective taking. Also positive effects on the climate in the classroom were reported: students getting to know each other better, increased respect among students, improved interactions, increased involvement in learning, and a more positive atmosphere in the classroom. Additionally, the teacher data were used to developing a framework for describing ways of using FoK that can inspire other teachers.

Authors

• Judith 't Gilde, Kohnstamm Instituut

• Monique L. Volman, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Research Institute Child Development and Education