Understanding Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Instruction: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Teacher and Student Perspectives

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Culturally Relevant and Disability Status–Relevant Schooling (Table 32)

Abstract

Culturally responsive instruction (CRI) has garnered significant attention in policy and practice in recent years (Dover, 2013; Gay, 2018; Ladson-Billings, 2014; Paris, 2012). In this study, we draw on teacher and student survey data, as well as teacher interviews, to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of their own CRI and students’ perceptions of the instruction they receive. We found that teacher and student responses diverged most notably around cultural competence and sociopolitical awareness, and care emerged as a critical dimension in understanding teachers’ CRI. We argue that incorporating students’ reports of their instructional experiences offers a more holistic picture of teachers’ CRI, and helps identify potential areas of mismatch or misunderstanding of CRI.

Authors

• Meghan Comstock, University of Maryland

• Laura M. Desimone, University of Delaware

• Ditra Backup, University of Maryland