ORCID
Maria I. Iturbide, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7672-877X; Amy Sprowles, https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6996-1278; Kimberly Vincent-Layton, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3084-3426; Seth Bradley, https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1163-2203; Steven Margell, https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6208-4985
Abstract
Although collegiate enrollment for students of diverse identities has steadily increased over the last five decades, their college graduation rates have not increased proportionally. Culturally responsive educational environments allow students to leverage their cultural wealth to achieve their academic aspirations. To create a culturally responsive campus culture, educators’ pedagogy must value culture in thinking, feeling, learning, and the communication of ideas. This article explores the ability of a professional learning community approach to cultivate in educator participants the personal and professional shifts required to create a culturally responsive educational environment. We analyzed qualitative data from 10 open-ended questions through an iterative multistep coding process. We identified themes of change (i.e., educational strategy, perceptions of diversity, perceptions of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, barriers, and related to the individual), demonstrating that the participants have modified their pedagogical practices based on their understanding of the importance of culture in learning, as well as considering new methods in teaching and assessment. Moreover, they acknowledged that their views on culture and diversity in the classroom were influenced by their participation in the professional learning community for culturally responsive campus environments. Future work will explore how these changes affect the student experience because without that understanding, knowledge about how well these students are truly being served is limited.
