Cultural Diversity and Student Learning Outcomes - Research Proposal Example

? Research Proposal of Cultural Diversity and Learning Outcomes It is obvious that public schools have students from various backgrounds. This has influenced the manner in which they understand information. A modern day teacher requires skills that will ensure that students with different languages, cultures, and abilities are included in the process of learning. The relationship between a teacher and a student in most cases is dialectical, culturally embedded, mediated by perceptions, and situational (Gay, 2002). For a learning process to be effective, appreciation of cultural diversity is an important aspect to be considered. Cultural diversity is a serious problem in the learning process. The most common problem arises from the behavior of the learner in the class. For instance, students from different cultural backgrounds have unique behavioral patterns (Gay, 2010). Students have diverse learning styles. Learners who are forced to use specific learning styles that they are not acquainted with might develop some level of dissatisfaction. Teaching a frustrated student has proved to be quite cumbersome (Gay, 2002). Academic performance is varied among students. An open comparison between academically weak students and those who are bright may also lead to a sense of being dejected (Gay, 2002). The bright students may develop superiority complex and consequently affect the attentiveness of others in class if the teacher does not take care to make sure that there is a balanced approach in the classroom. As such, there have been proposals to come up with various models that teachers may use as a guide to cultural approach in lessons. Amongst the proposals is that teaching and learning institutions should consider adopting principles of professional learning to prepare culturally responsible teachers. For example, there have been calls for professional learning to be one that is concerned with improving learning within a diverse, multicultural community. Such proposals also add, amongst other things, that the outcomes and content ought to take into consideration the concept of diversity. Statement of General Aims and Objectives The aim of the proposed study is to find out how cultural diversity affects learning outcomes. It is also the aim of this study to find out whether a teacher who has been trained on how to incorporate cultural diversity in the lessons is likely to register improved learning outcomes. To do so, the study will majorly be based on analyzing various professional opinions and other scholarly research on the same topic. Most importantly, the study will focus on the extent teacher-learner cultural differences may affect learning outcomes of learners at different levels of education. The information obtained and the findings will be used to assess how learners’ learning outcomes may be improved through a culturally sensitive approach that takes care of everyone’s interest on board. Specifically, the following research questions will be addressed: 1. Does cultural responsive pedagogy lead to student achievement? The research question will support the problem solving aim of the study in the following ways. First, the research question will prompt the assessment of learning methodologies in relation to the philosophy of education. The philosophy of education will then be analyzed through the prism of modern world where diversity has become quite unalienable from many social quarters. The study will them seek to answer the research question a series of analyses that assess learners actual outcomes and perceptions about cultural element in the learning environment. Literature Review Cultural issues in education have become quite common in the current world where technological and scientific advances have made the world a global village. A research done by Kana‘iaupuni et al. (2010) sought to find out culture-based education and its relationship to student outcomes among Native Hawaiian students. The study was conducted in the state’s public schools. The study was necessitated by what the researchers observed as the long standing achievement gap. The observation was that students in the state’s public schools had presented educationist with reasonable concerns. The researchers had noted that the old models many schools use in the state had seemingly failed to make any observable or reasonable differences in learning outcomes. The researcher, therefore, engaged in a quantitative research study which sought to examine how a cultural approach to teaching strategies impact on students achievements as well as on socio-emotional development. This was to confirm previous qualitative studies that had insinuated that there is an emerging trend in which using of culture-based instructional strategies have consistently registered positive results. The success has been particularly so amongst native Hawaiian students outcomes. In the data analysis, the researchers had constructed questionnaires in which they sought to survey how the learning outcomes correspond to Hawaiian indigenous education. The content and context of selected aspects of the Hawaiian culture were analyzed and values moderated for a reliable outcome. Results revealed that many teachers in Hawaii use strategies that are generally considered best practices in teaching and instruction. Many teachers suggested that for improved learning outcomes, it is preferable for educators to use culture based method in a culture rich environment (Kana‘iaupuni et al., 2010). Results on students had revealed that there is positive socio-emotional development on learners when teachers used culture-based instructional strategies. The conclusion found positive correlation between using of culture based methodologies and learning outcomes. Another study by Shane Brown on pre-service teacher’s attitudes towards teaching diverse learners found that such attitudes can greatly affect the level at which learner may succeed and achieve academically. The author argues that undergraduate teachers need to be properly prepared for the real situation that waits when they begin to practice. The scholar uses a secondary research by Ryan, Carrington, Selva and Healy (2009) to observe that education institutions should embrace recommendations that there is a need to offer courses that recognize the diversity in learners. Shane Brown proposes that given that a good proportion of human learning usually occurs in a social environment, culture is parts the most predominant part of the social environment and as such, the role of culture becomes indispensable. He observes that from the above fact, there is need even for higher education institutions to adopt training programs that have a multicultural approach as a core component to train pre-service teacher. The author argues on the need for such cultural-based programs or training pre-service teachers so that by the time the pre-service teacher graduate and join the teaching force, they will be able to handle a culturally diverse class with comfort. That way, teachers will have employed methodologies that not only cover the syllabus, but also help in improving learning outcomes. In his research, Shane Brown had assessed 57 pre-service teachers particularly those teaching in a diverse learners’ class. They observed that there is a need to integrate culture and home with the learner’s experiences at school (Brown, 2010). In another research by Pierre du Plessis and Tom Bisschoff (2007) on Diversity and complexity in the classroom found out that there is a need for learners to receive type of education that continuously re-affirms diversity. The authors maintain that there is need to embrace history and culture of all racial and ethnic groups. Du Plessis and Bisschoff assert that although there are cultural differences, it is important that teaching and learning styles should conform to what they called academic culture learning styles. They also observed that the best teaching technique is that which addresses all learning styles through course and material. Their observation is that although there may be already an established academic culture, there should be room for acculturation. This, they observe, is in the interest of learning outcomes. They made a conclusion that there are various issues to do with gender, age, race, ethnicity amongst others are diversity issues that are usually apparent in many modern classrooms. These, therefore, necessitate a cultural approach in teaching/learning processes. Du Plessis and Tom Bisschoff conclusively observe that it is vital for cultural pedagogy to be implemented in order that the existing variety of learning styles are reflected (Du Plessis and Tom Bisschoff, 2007). On the other side, Arja Virta (2009) approaches the concept of culture-based pedagogy for improved learning outcomes through subject analysis. The author focuses of learning to teach history in culturally diverse classrooms to bring out the importance of culture sensitivity in modern education systems. Virta observes that there are all sorts of belies and assumptions about diversity. He notes that a lot of literature exists about intercultural education. The purpose of his study was to investigate prospective teachers’ beliefs concerning teaching in multi-ethnic settings. The study had observed 14 male teachers and 8 female teachers of ages 23-50 years, many of whom were between 25 and27 years. Finding indicated that without proper guidance, some teachers are likely to reflect on content related dimensions of diversity. He concluded that diversity is therefore a serious challenge that has to be addressed. This is because it plays a major role in students’ learning outcomes (Virta, 2009). Finally, research by Margery B. Ginsberg and Raymond J. Wlodkowski (2009) observe that cultural pluralism should be approached with motivation for desirable outcomes. According to the scholars, the motivation framework for culturally responsive teaching should be accompanied with some essentials. Such essentials, they note, should be the need to respect diversity, creation of a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment. Ginsberg and Wlodkowski also contend that there is also the need for the education system to interdisciplinary and intercultural approach should be adopted when deriving teaching practices. They highlighted that learning experiences should focus on enhancing inclusion, attitude, meaning and competence. These, they observed, are some of the essentials that a culture-based pedagogy should entail (Ginsberg and Wlodkowski, 2009). Data Collection Questionnaires will be used to assess the students’ responses in the method used for teaching. The questionnaires will analyze the students’ attitudes to the science subject before and after applying the method (UC Regents, 2013). An assessment will be used to compare the levels of understanding from the two points of teaching namely the traditional method and the Cultural Responsive Pedagogy approach (UC Regents, 2013). The choice of the method was reached so that a comparison may be made from them and logical conclusions facilitated. The teachers will also gather data while teaching the lessons for comparison purposes. The data will contain information such as the levels of attentiveness of the students and how well the students interpret the lesson content (UC Regents, 2013). In one lesson, teachers will use the traditional approaches to teach a culturally diverse class. In another lesson, the teachers will use the cultural responsive pedagogy. In each of the two lessons, teachers will make their observations and use a pre-set questionnaire to assess the learning outcomes. The students who will be directly involved in the study will be interviewed to offer first-hand information on the similarities and differences of the two approaches (UC Regents, 2013). The participants that I will use for my sample study will be from the state. For purposes of managing the study, I will analyze five schools at various times. I target to sample a total of 200 students from each school and 5 teachers each teaching two lessons each on various days. The assessment of the students will be done after the two lessons that focus on the two methods. This is designed to be so to enable the learners to compare the traditional methods and the cultural responsive pedagogy. Learners from grades 8,9,10 and 11 will be assessed in the study. Both boys and girls will be assessed. Data Analysis The subject teacher will be used in offering an evaluation of the two methods by comparing the data collected before and after applying Cultural Responsive Pedagogy approach. The analysis of the data by the teachers will offer an inclination of the direction which is most suitable (Haviland & Kiino, 2009). For purposes of validity and data analysis will also include merging the students’ responses against the teachers’ observations. Analysis of the responses from the interviewed students will offer more information on the applied approach. Their responses will be grouped based on the ethnic orientation of the sample population (Haviland & Kiino, 2009). A comparative assessment that assesses satisfaction level and appealing level of various methodologies will be adopted and deviation analyzed from their expectation profile on what they expect as learners. Even so, care will be taken on this method so that objectivity rather than subjectivity will be admitted for the purposes of analysis. Reporting Results The results will be reported through an article that will be written at the end of the study. The report will include all the variables employed in the study, assumptions, statistical analysis method used and the recommendations of the study (Haviland & Kiino, 2009). These results will be addressed to the relevant schools and government institutions that coordinate the school learning programs. The report will also offer advice on how the study can be refined for effective application. Action Planning The teacher will be required to develop a system that will accommodate the results of the study (Anderson, 2012). This will require changes to be implemented in the curriculum to allow the application of Cultural Responsive Pedagogy technique in learning where it has been proven to be effective (UC Regents, 2013). Further analysis of the Cultural Responsive Pedagogy approach towards learning will be initiated. References Anderson, J. (2012). Chall Lecture: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Retrieved from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news-impact/2012/10/jeanne-chall-lecture-focuses-on- culturally-responsive-pedagogy/ Arja Virta, A. (2009). Learning to teach history in culturally diverse classrooms. Intercultural Education Vol. 20, No. 4, August 2009, 285–297. Brown, S, (2011). Pre-Service Teacher’s Attitudes Towards Teaching Diverse Learners. The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education Volume 7. Du Plessis, P., and Tom Bisschoff, T. (2007). Diversity and complexity in the classroom valuing racial and cultural diversity. Educational Research and Review Vol. 2 (9), pp. 245-254. Gay, G. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice: Multicultural Education Series. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Ginsberg, M.B., and Wlodkowski, R.J. (2009). Professional Learning to Promote Motivation and Academic Performance among Diverse Adults. CAEL Forum and News, November 2009. Haviland, D. & Kiino, R. D. (2009). Closing the Gap: The Impact of Professional Development on Faculty Attitudes Toward Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 8(2), 197-212. Kana‘iaupun et al. (2010). Culture-Based Education and Its Relationship to Student Outcomes. Kamehameha Schools Research & Evaluation Division. UC Regents (2013). Action Research Leadership Project: Culturally Relevant Responsive Project. Retrieved from http://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/principal-leadership/cohort-12- fieldwork/m-price-fieldwork-class/rasheenabell-workspace/fieldwork- portfolio/projectwebpages/projectActionReasearchCRP Read More