Examining culturally responsive teaching and assessment in an undergraduate public speaking course

Abstract

Given the diversified background of students in the United States, the demand for cultural responsiveness in education has increased. Previous research has explored how teachers apply culturally responsive teaching and assessment (CRTA) to reach marginalised students in kindergarten -12 th grade classrooms. Higher education has received less attention. This study initiates a promising step for investigating cultural responsiveness through the lens of college students, an area that has not been fully explored in the prior research. Specifically, our research team conducted semi-structured interview with 38 undergraduate students to examine the presence and potential of CRTA in a predominantly white public speaking course. Students spoke positively about how their course instructors created a respectful, welcoming environment and demonstrated care for students’ academic success. However, richer aspects of cultural responsiveness were minimal. Similarly, students’ perceptions of the potential for CRTA in the course were mixed and largely superficial. These findings can contribute to faculty development and course design across many colleges and universities. 

Keywords

References

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