Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Its Impact on Student Belonging

摘要

This thesis explored the intersection between English Language Arts pedagogical and classroom climate strategies grounded in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), and adolescent sense of classroom belonging. This was done by exploring -- in a classroom employing culturally relevant strategies - students' reports of classroom connections to their identities and cultures, their sense of agency regarding negotiating a place for themselves at school, and their sense of connection to learning (all of which are at the heart of belonging). Specifically, this project: 1) embedded class activities / experiences reflecting a culturally relevant lens in three, sixth-grade, English Language Arts classes; 2) analyzed, with students, the values and impact of such activities (i.e., what is the relationship between Culturally Relevant experiences and their classroom connections to their own identity and culture); and 3) how students reported that such connections relate to their sense of belonging, and their engagement/motivation in their class.