Culturally Relevant Pedagogy through African-centered Methods in a Midwestern Urban Elementary School

Abstract

The purpose of this heuristic phenomenological case study was to develop a narrative of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) through African-centered methods and to describe the strategies and/or best practices utilized by effective teachers who taught at one Midwestern elementary school. For the purposes of this inquiry, CRP through African-centered methods is defined as centering the Black child in the curriculum as a subject rather than an object, which allows for an inclusionary process, giving equal representation of all cultural groups rather than one over the other (Khepera, 2007). Hegemonic practices, social dominance, and outdated teaching models/methods have limited the academic and social success of many students of color in the United States (Howard, 1999), specifically Black students, as demonstrated by low test scores and higher levels of poverty, illiteracy, crime, teen pregnancy, and dropout rates. Hegemony for this inquiry is described as the dominant group’s influence on a culturally diverse society with their beliefs, explanations, perceptions, and values (Banks, 2010). Case studies of five teachers were utilized to investigate the research questions. The driving research question for this inquiry was: How did teachers in one urban elementary school use culturally relevant pedagogy through African-centered methods to support high levels of academic achievement and social success for their students? School documents, survey questionnaires, teacher interviews, and poetry were utilized for data collection and analysis. The principal methods of data analysis were the six phases in the heuristic process of phenomenological analysis: (a) initial engagement, (b) immersion, (c) incubation, (d) illumination, (e) explication, and (f) creative synthesis (Moustakas, 1990). Crystallization, a postmodern approach to triangulation, was utilized throughout the immersion phase (Ellingson, 2009). Four major themes emerged in these data: expectations, validation, school culture and curriculum, and pedagogy. Expectations were defined as a strong belief held by staff, students, and the school community that students would succeed academically and socially using a culturally rich curriculum. Validation was interpreted as the awareness that the work the teachers, students, administration, and school was doing was of value to all people. School culture concentrated on the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, and attitudes that influence every aspect of the school. Curriculum and pedagogy was based on the “what” is being taught in the classroom and “how” it being taught