Nurturing Little Hearts and Minds: Rural Teachers’ Approaches to Culturally Responsive Social and Emotional Learning

• In Event: Building Inclusive Futures: Teachers Advancing Equity through Social and Emotional Learning in Diverse Learning Contexts

Abstract

Objectives: The culturally responsive pedagogy in social-emotional learning (SEL) has been receiving increased attention given its effectiveness in addressing the needs of marginalized and minority students (Mahfouz & Anthony-Stevens, 2020). While growing evidence highlights the positive impact of culturally responsive SEL (CR-SEL) on student outcomes (Albritton et al., 2024; Lim et al., 2024), critical gaps persist in the literature, particularly across geographic and educational contexts, which limit its equitable implementation and scalability in diverse settings. The urban-centric orientation leaves rural educators without research-informed guidance tailored to their communities’ distinct cultural and logistical realities (McCallops et al., 2019). Furthermore, existing CR-SEL studies focus heavily on the quantitative measures prioritizing program efficacy and most programs lack theoretical foundations. This study aims to fill these gaps by exploring how rural transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers in California deliver and adapt CR-SEL in their classrooms. Using a case study design, we hoped to address the following question: How do teachers enact SEL in a culturally responsive way in rural TK classrooms?

Frameworks: We employed Bennett et al.’s (2018) framework of culturally responsive literacy practices to guide our understanding of teachers’ CR-SEL practice. Bennett et al. (2018) synthesized the five interconnected dimensions of culturally responsive teaching in early childhood education: (1) developing a culturally responsive classroom community, (2) family engagement, (3) critical literacy within a social justice framework, (4) multicultural literature, and (5) culturally responsive print rich environments. Within these spaces, students learn to question whose knowledge counts, how power operates in educational settings, and how to challenge dominant cultural narratives.

Methods: Ten TK teachers from seven rural schools in California participated in this study. Participants were individually interviewed online for 45 to 60 minutes between February and June 2024 using semi-structured interviews. We employed thematic analysis following the guidelines offered by Clarke and Braun (2018). To ensure the reliability, the first and second authors coded all transcripts independently and discussed resolving any inconsistencies.

Results: Results demonstrate three major themes of CR-SEL practices in rural TK classrooms: multicultural and critical perspective development, inclusive environment, and family engagement. Rural TK teachers varied in their approaches to develop multicultural perspectives largely dependent upon their comfort level. Whereas some teachers explicitly and actively taught it as a part of their SEL curriculum, others reactively addressed the issues when needed. Most teachers actively created an inclusive environment via creating print-rich environments, opportunities, or showing empathy and acknowledgement for cultural related issues. Additionally, several teachers engaged families by culturally communicating with families, providing language support, and inviting families to the classroom for cultural sharing.

Significance: Findings significantly contribute to deeper understanding of adopting CR-SEL practice in navigating the unique characteristics of rural communities and highlight the importance of CR-SEL practices supported at home being congruent with the practices implemented at school. Implementing CR-SEL requires not only pedagogical expertise but also significant emotional labor and resilience from educators. Significant implications are related to the areas of resource development, preparation and professional learning, as well as professional standards.

Authors

• Xueqin Lin, University of California - Berkeley

• Josephine Ingram, University of California - Berkeley