Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Influence Literacy Achievement for Middle School Black Male Students

Abstract

This paper describes how the literacy achievement of low socioeconomic status 17 Black male middle school students in one classroom was influenced by culturally responsive teaching. The study employed a concurrent transformative mixed‐methods approach. Quantitative data consisted of pretest and posttest reading scores from the computer adaptive interim assessment, Measurement of Academic Progress during the 2017–2018 academic school year. Qualitative data included the teacher’s journal of reflective field notes. The findings suggested that pedagogy that mirrors students’ cultural values, beliefs, and lifestyles empowered students in ways that yielded improved literacy achievement for this group. This study added further support for the use of such pedagogy with Black male students as well as other potentially vulnerable populations.

More being, different doing: Illuminating examples of culturally relevant literacy teaching

“…For some time now, researchers and practitioners have stressed the impact of culturally relevant teaching on lessening the academic outcome disparities between different cultural groups (Walker & Hutchison, 2021). The potential of this work to positively impact marginalized learners is not surprising since such work to make teaching sensitive, relevant, and empowering to students' lived experiences is aligned with research on how the brain works (Hammond, 2014).…”