How Can Teachers Improve? Using Culturally Responsive Frameworks to Examine Adolescent Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Culturally Responsive Teaching

Background:

• Qualitative research on student perspectives of culturally responsive practices (CRP) is limited.
• Existing models of CRP may not fully capture student experiences and expectations.
• Understanding student voice is crucial for refining and advancing CRP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore middle and high school students' perspectives on improving teachers' culturally responsive practices (CRP).
• To examine if student-identified concepts align with or extend existing CRP frameworks.
• To incorporate student voice into the conceptualization and implementation of CRP.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 23 focus groups with 103 Black, Latine, and White middle and high school students in the Midwest.
• Analyzed 103 student excerpts detailing suggestions for improving classroom practices.
• Coded excerpts for alignment with the Double Check CARES framework and the Eight Competencies of Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Main Results:

• Sixty-seven of 103 student excerpts aligned with one or both existing CRP frameworks.
• Thirty-six excerpts presented themes not captured by the Double Check CARES or Eight Competencies frameworks.
• Identified commonalities and differences in student perspectives across diverse and homogenous focus groups.

Conclusions:

• Student perspectives offer valuable insights that can expand current models of culturally responsive practices (CRP).
• Incorporating student voice is essential for developing more effective and relevant CRP in educational settings.
• Findings have implications for teacher professional development and improving classroom strategies to meet diverse student needs.