Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Progress: Views in the K-12 Classroom

Abstract

As the student population in U.S. public schools continues to grow more diverse, scholars have developed culturally-based pedagogies (CBP) such as Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) to try to help teachers meet the needs of their diverse learners. The most recent work in CBP is centered around CSP, which this study uses as its theoretical framework. This study explores the work of six K-12 teachers from Title I schools who implement CBP into their classroom practices. The purpose of this study is to explore and discover how teachers explain CSP, how they feel they implement CSP, and how they describe their mindset surrounding the ideas of CSP. In this qualitative instrumental case study, the researchers analyze data from interviews and artifact elicitations with a six-phase thematic analysis. The results show the participants' varying degrees of understanding and implementation of the tenets of CSP and the challenges and barriers they face in their efforts to implement CBP. In addition, the researchers created composite profiles, which are leveled fictional accounts based on findings from the participants to assist educators in further developing their understanding of CSP and how to integrate CSP into their practice and classrooms. The results confirm the need for continued work with CSP, especially regarding professional development for in-service K-12 teachers.