Abstract
An increasing amount of scholarship has documented the salience of culturally relevant teaching practices for ethnically and linguistically diverse students. However, research examining these students' perceptions and interpretations of these learning environments has been minimal at best. In this article, the author details the findings from a study that sought to assess African-American elementary students' interpretations of culturally relevant teachers within urban contexts. Student responses indicated that culturally relevant teaching strategies had a positive affect on student effort and engagement in class content and were consistent with the theoretical principles of culturally relevant pedagogy. The qualitative data revealed three key findings that students preferred in their learning environments (1) teachers who displayed caring bonds and attitudes toward them, (2) teachers who established community- and family-type classroom environments, and (3) teachers who made learning an entertaining and fun process.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Allen, B. A., and Boykin, A. W. (1992). African American children and the educational process: Alleviating cultural discontinuity through prescriptive pedagogy. School Psychology Review 21(4): 586–596.
Au, K., and Jordan, C. (1981). Teaching reading to Hawaiian children: Finding a culturally appropriate solutions. In H. Trueba, G. Guthrie, and K. Au. (eds.), Culture and the Bilingual Classroom: Studies in Classroom Ethnography, pp.139–152, Rowley, MA: Newbury.
Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology Monographs 4(2, Pt.2). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bogdan, R., and Bilken, S. (1992). Qualitative Research. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Boykin, A. W. (1994). Afrocultural expression and its implications for schooling. In E. R. Hollins, J. E. King, and W. C. Hayman (eds.), Teaching Diverse Populations: Formulating a Knowledge Base pp. 243–256. New York: State University of New York Press.
Cazden, C. B., and Leggett, E. (1981). Culturally responsive education: Recommendations for achieving Lau remedies II. In H. Trueba, G. Guthrie, and K. Au (eds.), Culture and the Bilingual Classroom: Studies in Classroom Ethnography, pp.69–86, Rowley, MA: Newbury.
Corey, M. S., and Corey, G. (1987). Groups: Process and Practice, 3rd ed., Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Coles.
Cuban, L. (1972). Ethnic content and “white” instruction. Phi Delta Kappan 53(5): 270–273.
Deiro, J. A. (1994). What Teachers Do to Nurture Bonding with Students. Unpublished dissertation. University of Washington, Seattle.
Fine, M. (1987). Silencing in public schools. Language Arts 64(2): 157–174.
Foster, M. (1994). Effective black teachers: A literature review. In E. R. Hollins, J. E. King, and W. C. Hayman (eds.), Teaching Diverse Populations: Formulating a Knowledge Base, pp. 225–241. New York: State University of New York Press.
Foster, M. (1995). African American teachers and culturally relevant pedagogy. In J. A. Banks and C. A. M. Banks (eds.), Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education, pp. 570–581. New York: Macmillan.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
Giroux, H. (1988). Literacy and the pedagogy of voice and political empowerment. Educational Theory 38(1): 61–75.
Giroux, H. A., and Simon, R. (1989). Popular culture and critical pedagogy: Everyday life as a basis for curriculum knowledge. In H. A. Giroux and P. McLaren (eds.), Critical Pedagogy, the State and Cultural Struggle, pp. 236–252. New York: State University of New York Press.
Heller, K. (1989). The return to community. American Journal of Community Psychology 17(1): 1–15.
Hill, N. E. (1995). The relationship between family environment and parenting style: A preliminary study of African American families. Journal of Black Psychology 21(4): 408–423.
Hollins, E. R., and Spencer, K. (1990a). African American and Latino children in high-poverty urban schools: How they perceive school climate. Journal of Negro Education 65(1): 60–70.
Hollins, E. R., and Spencer, K. (1990b). Restructuring schools for cultural inclusion: Changing the schooling process for African American youngsters. Journal of Education 172(2): 89–100.
Howard, T. C. (1998). Pedagogical Practices and Ideological Constructions of Effective Teachers of African American Students. Unpublished dissertation, University of Washington, Seattle.
Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. School Review 83: 301–344.
Kohl, H. (1998). The Discipline of Hope. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Labonty, J., and Danielson, K. E. (1988). Effective teaching: What do kids say? Clearning House 61: 394–398.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lee, C. D. (1995). Signifying as a scaffold for literary interpretation. Journal of Black Psychology 21(4): 357–381.
Lee, P. W. (1999). In their own voices: An ethnographic study of low-achieving students within the context of school reform. Urban Education 34(2): 214–244.
Lipman, P. (1995). Bringing out the best in them: The contribution of culturally relevant teachers to school reform. Theory into Practice 34(3): 203–208.
Miles, M. B. (1982). A mini-cross-site analysis. American Behavioral Scientist 26(1): 121–132.
Miles, M. B., and Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Miron, L. F., and Lauria, M. (1998). Student voice as agency: Resistance and accommodations in inner-city schools. Anthropology and Education Quarterly 29(2): 189–213.
Mohatt, G. V., and Erickson, F. (1981). Cultural differences in teaching styles in an Odawa school: A sociolinguistic approach. In H. Trueba, G. Guthrie, and K. Au (eds.), Culture and the Bilingual Classroom: Studies in Classroom Ethnography, pp. 105–119. Rowley, MA: Newbury.
Nieto, S. (1992). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education. White Plains, NY: Longman.
Nieto, S. (1994). Lessons from students on creating a chance to dream. Harvard Educational Review 64(4): 392–426.
Nieto, S. (1999). The Light in Their Eyes. New York: Teachers College Press.
Noddings, N. (1988). Schools face crisis in caring. Education Week 32.
Noddings, N. (1992). The Challenge to Care in Schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Peck, S. M. (1987). A Different Drum. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Phelan, P., Yu, H. C., and Davidson, A. L. (1994). Navigating the psychosocial pressures of adolescence: The voices and experiences of high school youth. American Educational Research Journal 31(2): 415–447.
Phillips, S. (1972). Participant structures and communicative competence: Warm Springs children in community and classroom. In C. Cazden, D. Hymes, and V. J. John (eds.), Functions of language in the classroom.
Shade, B. J., Kelly, C., and Oberg, M. (1997). Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Soo-Hoo, S. (1993). Students as partners in research and restructuring schools. Educational Forum 57: 386–393.
Waxman, H. C. (1989). Urban black and Hispanic elementary school students' perceptions of classroom instruction. Journal of Research and Development in Education 22: 57–61.
Waxman, H. C. (1991). Investigating classroom and school learning environments: A review of recent research and developments in the field. Journal of Classroom Interaction 26(2): 1–4.
Waxman, H. C., and Huang, S. (1997). Classroom instruction and learning environment differences between effective and ineffective urban elementary schools for African American students. Urban Education 32(4): 7–44.
Weiss, L., and Fine, M. (1993). Beyond Silenced Voices: Class, Race, and Gender in United States Schools. Albany: New York State University Press.
Wittrock, M. (1986). Students' thought processes. In M. Wittrock (ed.), Handbook of Research in Teaching, 3rd ed., pp. 297–314. New York: Macmillan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Howard, T.C. Telling Their Side of the Story: African-American Students' Perceptions of Culturally Relevant Teaching. The Urban Review 33, 131–149 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010393224120
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010393224120