AN INVESTIGATION OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ CULTURALLY RELEVANT TEACHING PRACTICES IN TWO CULTURES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES

Effective teaching is one of the most important factors in student achievement. Throughout the world, there are high expectations for teacher and student performance. Teachers and students need to navigate the demographic and cultural shifts occurring around the world. Teachers’ cultural awareness and knowledge base of culturally relevant teaching practices is critical to their effectiveness. Based on the need to better understand the cultural responsiveness of teachers, this comparative study investigated elementary school teachers’ culturally relevant teaching practices in China and the U.S. through the use of video-cued ethnography. The following findings were revealed from the study: (a) differences in frequency and application of practices; (b) communication of high expectations across cultures; (c) lack of family and community partnership; (d) emphasis on culturally mediated instruction in the U.S.; and (e) ample time for collaboration and reflection in China