The influence of hip-hop culture on the communication skills of students as perceived by teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of hip-hop culture on the communication skills of students as perceived by teachers at three high schools in Houston, Texas. Hip-hop culture consists of: rap music, breakdancing, graffiti art, and deejaying. Hip-hop is currently one of the most popular forms of music and represents the dominant culture of today's inner-city youth. The researcher issued written surveys to 30 teachers in Houston, Texas. The high schools selected for this study were: Yates High School (Houston Independent School District), Wheatley High School (Houston Independent School District), and Eisenhower High School (Aldine Independent School District). Two teachers were also interviewed for the study. The final part of the study was the production of an educational hip-hop CD by the researcher. The literature review focuses on the history and practices of hip-hop in regard to language. Once the surveys were received and the interviews were completed, the researcher compiled statistics regarding the background information of the participants and the level of influence that each teacher felt that hip-hop culture has on students. The major findings of the study were: 1. Hip-hop culture heavily influences the oral language and written communication of students based upon the opinions of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. 2. Hip-hop can be used as a tool to supplement the teaching of various academic concepts as evidenced by the practices of teachers at selected high schools in Houston, Texas. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends: 1. Teachers should acknowledge hip-hop culture and allow students to express their interest in hip-hop culture in the classroom. 2. Teachers should find ways to incorporate hip-hop culture into the curriculum to arouse students' interest in learning. For instance, allow students to learn from listening to educational rap songs. 3. Teachers should find ways to use hip-hop culture in the classroom to improve the acquisition and retention of academic concepts. Examples could include allowing students to write rap songs about academic concepts.