Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Anastasia Metros

Abstract

Many Canadian children under the age of 15 were born to at least one foreign-born parent, representing 37.5% or 2.2 million children of the total population of children. Although this cultural diversity provides opportunities for teachers to use as a strength, it also poses instructional challenges. Much research has focused on cultural diversity challenges, yet it is not known whether specific cultural diversity instructional challenges have been overcome or how. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate specific cultural diversity instructional challenges faced by junior high school teachers and explore how teachers use Gay’s culturally responsive teaching (CRT) to overcome such challenges. In addition to Gay’s pedagogy, the conceptual framework included elements of the Ladson-Billings’s culturally relevant pedagogy. The research questions focused on understanding the cultural diversity instructional challenges and exploring how teachers use CRT to overcome such challenges. Purposeful sampling was used to select eight teachers in highly culturally diverse junior high schools in Calgary. Data were collected through interviews, followed by transcription and analysis to identify themes. Findings revealed that teachers face cultural diversity instructional challenges including the lack of resources, language barriers, lack of student motivation, and gaps in student learning. Teachers gave examples of self-developed CRT strategies they use to overcome the challenges, featuring intentional lesson planning amongst other strategies. All teachers also expressed their thirst for training on CRT. Insights from this study can help stakeholders in education identify and implement professional development sessions that promote effective strategies needed for a culturally diverse classroom.

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