Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge and Understanding of Asset-Based Pedagogy and their Attitudes Towards Students at the Middle School Level: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

What teachers know and understand about teaching in a culturally pluralistic context, and their attitudes towards their students are highly relevant to students’ learning outcomes. This is reflected by the numerous studies of culturally responsive/relevant and asset-based pedagogies over the past several decades. Conducting this exploratory study, I sought to identify what teachers at the middle school level know and understand about implementing culturally responsive/asset-based pedagogical approaches in teaching culturally diverse students, what teachers’ perceptions of these students were, and, in addition, if there were any differences among teachers based on their characteristics. Teachers from two middle schools within a large urban public school district were invited to participate in the study and asked to complete a three-part survey instrument. Of 100 invitations, fewer than 30 completed surveys were returned. Therefore, correlational statistical analysis could not be performed. Nevertheless, comparisons of teachers’ responses based on median scores presented certain clear indications: 1) Teachers were in agreement, and therefore having knowledge and understanding in common, in the areas of cultural content integration, language, cultural knowledge integration, and high expectations; 2) Teachers were not in agreement, indicating a lack of common knowledge and understanding, in the area of critical awareness; 3) With respect to high expectations and rigor, teachers embrace student collaboration, but are unclear about the role assertiveness plays in their pedagogy; 4) In the area of cultural knowledge and understanding, teachers value knowing their students, but are unclear about how to incorporate this in the curriculum. These results reveal that further research is needed to understand teachers’ lack of knowledge and understanding in the areas of critical awareness, teacher assertiveness, and incorporating knowledge about culturally diverse students in the curriculum.