Challenges in Teaching in Culturally Diverse Classrooms: Teachers’ Perspectives on Teaching in U.S. Public School Settings

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Students While Navigating Ambiguities of Multicultural Education (Table 12)

Abstract

This qualitative study aimed to identify the challenges in teaching students of diverse backgrounds in public school settings in a school district in Houston, Texas, the most ethnically diverse large metropolitan area in the United States. The study focused on the lived experiences with in-depth and semi-structured interviews conducted with 7 participants (6 females; 1 male) to gain insights into their perspectives and understand the essence of their experiences. The findings showed that a lack of language proficiency and teachers trained in culturally responsive teaching often created barriers to effective schooling. The findings emphasize the importance of culturally responsive training to make teachers more effective in addressing the needs of increasingly diverse student populations in the United States.

Author

• Hasan Aydin, Florida Gulf Coast University