Perspectives of Elementary Teachers’ Sense of Agency in Implementing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Practices: An Action Research Study

Abstract

This dissertation addressed a problem of practice in a school district located in Mid-Michigan regarding the cultural gap between elementary school teachers and the students they teach. Teachers may encounter cultural gaps and be challenged in their practice of educating students of diverse backgrounds. This study explored the tenets of culturally responsive pedagogy and practices as a way for teachers to address the cultural gap and meet the needs of all students. An action research approach was employed to explore the beliefs, perspectives, attitudes, dispositions, instructional competencies, and self-assessed sense of agency of teachers about culturally responsive pedagogy and practices. Three iterative cycles of data collection encompassed four distinct stages of action research outlined by Mertler (2017): planning, acting, developing, and reflecting. Data were gathered by a qualitative survey, interactive professional development workshop, focus group, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that the purposeful sample of teachers in this study could benefit from further support when implementing culturally responsive pedagogy and practices. A professional development workshop supported the teacher participants in enhancing their knowledge about how to work with students from diverse backgrounds. The action research study facilitated the conversation with educators about cultural competence to impact the larger field of education through the perspective of practitioners working in the field. Further exploration into the topic of culturally responsive pedagogy and practices can have transformative effects on both teachers and students.