Authentic Cariño: Mexican Heritage High School Males Reflect on Characteristics of Effective Teachers

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Latine Students Righting the Wrongs in and for Their Schools and Communities (Table 3)

Abstract

Effective teaching is at the heart of student learning and their academic achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2020). Decades of research illustrate that historically marginalized students have limited access to experienced and highly qualified teachers (Barton, 2003) and higher academic outcomes when compared to their White peers (Burroughs, et al. 2019). This is especially true for Latine males who have experienced among the highest dropout/pushout rates and the lowest college completion rates (Kewal Ramani, Gilbertson, Fox, and Provasnik, 2007).
Despite a wealth of research on how to define and measure teacher effectiveness (Jewell, 2017), we know little about students’ perspectives of what it means to be an effective teacher. Given the rapidly growing Latine student population in the US and their historically poor educational outcomes, it makes good sense to learn directly from them regarding their perspectives on the characteristics of effective teachers.
This qualitative study is guided by the following research question, How do Mexican heritage male high school students enrolled in a Grow Your Own (GYO) program describe characteristics and experiences with effective teachers? By engaging directly with student experience, this study seeks to uncover teaching practices that uplift students of the global majority, ignite academic passion, and move beyond deficit narratives.
Grounded in a culturally responsive (Ladson-Billings, 1995) and sustaining (Paris, 2012) pedagogies, this study explores how educators can nurture the academic success of Latine youth through practices informed by their lived experiences. The data for this study were collected over a four year period from students enrolled in a GYO program. Student essays from 15 self-identifying Mexican heritage male high school students were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Student participants were enrolled in a high school GYO teacher program located in urban, suburban, and rural high schools throughout one western state. In essay format, students were asked to reflect on the characteristics of effective teachers.
Multiple themes were identified, however results indicate caring as a primary and highly important characteristic for Mexican heritage males. Although caring was defined in several ways, students often reflected on the importance of support outside the classroom.
This study holds significant scholarly importance as it underscores the necessity of understanding and addressing the unique needs of Latine male students, a historically marginalized group, to ensure they receive equitable and effective education.
Educational research and actions for remedy and repair rarely, if ever, center the voices of the individuals most impacted. In the current study, Mexican heritage males' voices were centered. Authentic care, the characteristic they valued as essential in determining teacher effectiveness, is rarely discussed in the teacher effectiveness literature, yet these young men valued it as one of the most important characteristics.

Authors

• Margarita Bianco, University of Colorado - Denver

• Joselyne Garcia-Moreno, University of Colorado - Denver

• Amanda Escheman, University of Colorado - Denver

• Alexandra Rodriguez, University of Colorado - Denver