Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Elementary School: Qualitative Case Study
Location
Preston 2
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
This qualitative case study provides insight into six elementary school teacher' use of culturally relevant pedagogy. The teachers self-identified as culturally relevant teachers who foster high academic achievement, cultivate cultural competence, and develop critical consciousness in students to help them understand and analyze the world's social order. Through storytelling, interviews, classroom observations, student work, and the participants' reflections on their practices, this study provides a way to describe how teachers use culturally relevant pedagogy in their elementary classrooms and the approaches they use when teaching African American elementary students. The guiding questions for the research were as follows: What are the experiences of six elementary teachers of African American students who self-identify as using culturally relevant pedagogy in urban elementary schools in the South?
What practices do these teachers use to help African American students learn? How do teachers of African American students in urban elementary schools in the South implement culturally relevant pedagogy? The findings provide insight into the practices of those who use culturally relevant practices to improve learning for African American students. The findings also offer insights into recommendations for teacher professional development, aiming to make their practice of culturally relevant pedagogy more impactful.
Keywords
qualitative case study, cultural competence, culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), critical consciousness
Professional Bio
Kimberly L. Mathews is an instructional coach in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Mathews has been an educator for 32 years. She has experience coaching teachers, facilitating professional learning, and supporting teachers in all content areas. Overall, she helps build teacher capacity to improve students' achievement outcomes. Her interest is in serving students in urban schools with diverse cultural backgrounds. Mathews enjoys gardening and finding treasures at local thrift stores.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Mathews, Kimberly; Schmertzing, Richard; and Schmertzing, Lorraine C., "Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Elementary School: Qualitative Case Study" (2024). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 4.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2024/2024/4
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Elementary School: Qualitative Case Study
Preston 2
This qualitative case study provides insight into six elementary school teacher' use of culturally relevant pedagogy. The teachers self-identified as culturally relevant teachers who foster high academic achievement, cultivate cultural competence, and develop critical consciousness in students to help them understand and analyze the world's social order. Through storytelling, interviews, classroom observations, student work, and the participants' reflections on their practices, this study provides a way to describe how teachers use culturally relevant pedagogy in their elementary classrooms and the approaches they use when teaching African American elementary students. The guiding questions for the research were as follows: What are the experiences of six elementary teachers of African American students who self-identify as using culturally relevant pedagogy in urban elementary schools in the South?
What practices do these teachers use to help African American students learn? How do teachers of African American students in urban elementary schools in the South implement culturally relevant pedagogy? The findings provide insight into the practices of those who use culturally relevant practices to improve learning for African American students. The findings also offer insights into recommendations for teacher professional development, aiming to make their practice of culturally relevant pedagogy more impactful.
