How do informal teachers practice culturally relevant pedagogy in a community-organized program?

Abstract

The latest PISA outcomes show a widening gap in learning outcomes between students with ethnic minority background and their ethnic majority peers. Students’ academic performance is closely connected with students’ sense of belonging (Kirby & Thomas, 2022) and teachers play a key role in fostering students’ sense of belonging (Osterman, 2010). This research addresses informal teachers’ practices within a community-organized program for primary and secondary school students, focusing on classroom relationships and instructional practices. I conducted eight in-depth interviews with informal teachers using insights from the Culturally Responsive Instruction Observation Protocol (CRIOP) by Powell and Rightmyer (2012). The study reveals that teachers in community-organized programs incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy by drawing on their backgrounds and experiences, emphasizing the connections between relationships and instructional practices, and fostering parental involvement.