Culturally relevant pedagogy in an elementary school for indigent native peoples

UnrestrictedThis dissertation explored the implementation and teacher perceptions of a culturally relevant pedagogy in a Native Hawaiian elementary school, Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, that admits students of Native Hawaiian ancestry. Since the teachers are employed by this private school that has made several equitable decisions, like a broader admissions policy more reflective of its community, it is assumed that teachers are utilizing culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) with this diverse group of students. Since it is not known whether teachers are employing CRP, a study of the sixth grade level was executed. The culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) framework of Ladson-Billings (1995) was used as the structure for this qualitative study. Classroom observations, an artifact analysis, and teacher interviews were conducted with six teachers at this private school, exclusively for Native Hawaiian students. The results identified varying levels of commitment by teachers who implemented a culturally relevant pedagogy. This study recognized that teachers should engage in more Hawaiian culture and language professional development in order to increase their comfort level and command of the chosen cultural direction Kamehameha Schools has chosen to move in. Teachers also should use critical self-reflection in order to deconstruct hindering social beliefs and to make personal sense of their own culturally relevant pedagogy. Finally, teachers should continually seek to understand what is relevant to students and find ways to connect with them in a variety of cultural ways