Teacher Preparation and Implementation: Examining Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

Abstract

The current three-article dissertation examined culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM) on a variety of levels. In an effort to understand how teachers are prepared and then how they implement CRCM, I examined CRCM at the teacher preparation level, followed by an examination of urban teachers’ perceptions of their views on student diversity and implementation of CRCM. To comprehensively examine all levels of experience, I also examined urban teachers across five different campuses regarding their perceived CRCM practices as well as what I observed regarding their implementation. Teachers spanned experience levels from one to 36 years of experience, illuminating the need for CRCM training and support to some extent at all levels of a teacher’s career.

Findings from the three studies reveal that, while CRCM was presented for scholarly consideration almost twenty years ago, little specific work using the framework exists. Teacher preparation programs sprinkle work about diversity and classroom management throughout coursework leaving pre-service teachers unprepared for the diverse classrooms in which they will work. As a result, novice teachers, in their effort to survive the reality shock of the first years, struggle to maintain control, often demonstrating a deficit perspective regarding diverse student populations. While clear gaps were found in their expressed CRCM implementation, they did show evidence of adapting their practices. Finally, all teachers, regardless of experience, were found to benefit from training in CRCM. Novice teachers were once again found to struggle, though appreciative of any new strategies. Mid-level teachers had mixed results, but were primed to integrate new strategies to current practices, while experienced teachers admitted reluctance at accepting new strategies and were slow to adopt some CRCM practices with eventually tweaking of current practices. Through purposeful efforts to integrate CRCM in teacher preparation as well as in teacher professional development, teachers’ CRCM practices may serve to alleviate concerns that plague teachers where culture clashes occur often causing management concerns.