Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Antoinette Myers

Abstract

Urban high school literacy teachers are concerned with being prepared to teach incoming, culturally diverse ninth-grade students. More specifically, teachers have difficulty with implementing culturally responsive instructional strategies (CRIS) in urban high school literacy classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the challenges of using CRIS in urban high school literacy classrooms. Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory was the conceptual framework that informed this study, suggesting that students learn, and teachers instruct based on social experiences in thinking and interpreting the world. The guiding research question was concerning how high school teachers apply CRIS to address the unique needs and challenges of urban high school literacy learners. The data collection involved a purposeful sample of 10 literacy teachers, observations, and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included thematic color-coding to identify patterns and themes to answer the research questions. The findings revealed challenges in culturally specific vocabulary and dialect. The findings also revealed challenges in time constraints due to content matter scheduling and multiple learning styles in the classroom. The recommendation is to provide a three-day professional development workshop on implementing CRIS through the creation of an online manual and explanatory videos. This study promotes positive social change through teachers implementing instructional strategies that incorporate cultural sensitivity aimed at improving student success.

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