Culturally Relevant Physical Education in Urban Schools

Abstract

Using a three-part theoretical framework, the cultural relevance cycle-which consists of (a) knowing community dynamics, (b) knowing how community dynamics influence educational processes, and (c) implementing strategies that reflect cultural knowledge of the community--we examined teachers' and students' perspectives on culturally relevant physical education in urban settings. We observed and interviewed 53 physical education teachers and 183 students in urban districts over 4 years. We identified themes of care, respect, language and communication, and curricular content that explained how these teachers enacted the cultural relevance cycle. Within these themes, teachers and students specified global and discipline-specific components of care, the rflattening of social hierarchies among students and between students and teachers, accommodation of English as a second language and urban communication, and relevant curricular content as necessary for achieving cultural relevance. Enacting the cycle of cultural relevance resulted in respectful learning environments in which students were highly engaged; however very few teachers enacted all three steps of the cycle.

Engaging Students in Physical Education: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Physical Educators in Urban Settings

“…Conversations with students can also help teachers gather information to increase the relevance of their lessons. For teachers with a large proportion of ELLs, learning a few phrases in students’ native languages can help foster a connection (Flory & McCaughtry, 2011). Researchers have also called for increased cultural competency (Harrison et al, 2010) and culturally relevant PE curricula in urban settings (Flory & McCaughtry, 2014) and more generally (Choi & Chepyator-Thomson, 2011; Culp, 2013), in recognition of the growing ethnic and racial diversity across the United States (Colby & Ort-man, 2015; Johnson & Lichter, 2010).…”

Implementing the REACH after-school programme for youth in urban communities: Challenges and lessons learned

“…shootings, fights, and a sense of people “giving up” on their community) that were often dangerous and oppressive. Thus, Flory and McCaughtry’s (2011) cultural relevance cycle informed the ways in which we sought to bridge the gap between what students were experiencing in their community to what we wanted them to experience in REACH. Knowing students’ community dynamics and understanding how these influenced educational processes are two key elements of this cycle.…”

“…It was extremely important to work toward bridging community and REACH dynamics. Having strong buy-in from REACH leadership, particularly in relying on culturally relevant pedagogy and PYD through sport as guiding frameworks, was crucial for supporting students through care, respect, and cultural connections (Flory and McCaughtry, 2011), which directly influence the PYD climate and outcomes.…”

“…As will be clear later in the paper, one of the coaches enacted pedagogies that were aligned with Ladson-Billings’ (1995) culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). Scholars extending CRP theory in PE (Flory and McCaughtry, 2011) have developed a cultural relevance cycle that helps us examine the results from a PE-centric view. Finally, we use a framework of positive youth development (PYD) through sport (Holt et al, 2017) to explain the interrelated nature of the community, culture, and relationship building we witnessed during the programme.…”

“…Although CRP was developed in a general education environment, scholars have adapted this approach in subject-specific ways. For instance, Flory and McCaughtry (2011) present a “cultural relevance cycle” that aligns with CRP in the context of PE. Their cycle has three steps that include: (a) knowledge about community dynamics; (b) knowing how community dynamics influence educational processes; and (c) the implementation of strategies that reflect cultural knowledge.…”