Abstract
The opposition to culturally responsive teaching practices in the media overshadows the importance and benefits of these practices for minoritized children and families, given the disparate mental health and educational disparities for students of color. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between parents’ and legal guardians’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching practices to the perceptions of their elementary-aged children’s mental health and well-being. This study also aimed to investigate the buffering role of culturally responsive teaching practices on the relationship between school discrimination and children’s mental health outcomes. One hundred thirty-one diverse parents and legal guardians with children in elementary school (Mage = 8.05) were recruited for participation. According to parents and legal guardians, teachers’ culturally responsive practices were positively associated with children’s prosocial behaviors and significantly moderated the relationship between discrimination and mental health, including internalizing behaviors. This study provides crucial information regarding cultural variables that should be considered in school professional development and educator practices for elementary-aged children.
Highlights
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Parents’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching practices are associated with higher prosocial behaviors for elementary students of color.
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Parents’ perceptions of discrimination are associated with higher internalizing and externalizing symptoms for elementary students of color.
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Parents, who reported high cultural responsiveness in their child’s classroom and low experiences of school-based discrimination, also reported the fewest concerns about their young child’s mental health, including internalizing symptoms.
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The findings of this study highlight the vital perspective of parents and legal guardians of children of color that should be included in research, practice, and policy when improving culturally responsive practices, anti-racism in schools, and mental health outcomes.
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Notes
Students of color are persons who self-identify as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx (not including White), Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Indigenous, and/or Multi-racial.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Drs. Paul Frick and Mary Lou Kelley for their involvement on the first author’s dissertation committee.
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This study was approved by the institutional review board at Louisiana State University (IRB #E12016).
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Goodwin, A.K.B., Long, A.C.J. Parents’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Teacher Practices and Elementary Children’s Mental Health and Well-Being. J Child Fam Stud 32, 781–795 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02454-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02454-3