Date of Award:
8-2015
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
School of Teacher Education and Leadership
Department name when degree awarded
Teacher Education and Leadership
Committee Chair(s)
Sherry Marx
Committee
Sherry Marx
Committee
Karin DeJonge-Kannan
Committee
J. Spencer Clark
Committee
Cinthya M. Saavedra
Committee
Amy Alexandra Wilson-Lopez
Abstract
The purpose of this study, sponsored by the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University, was to determine the classroom practices and attitudes of the teachers that had been identified as successful with Latina and Latino students at an urban middle school. Criteria for successful teachers were not determined by the researcher, but by those school stakeholders who were asked to nominate such teachers: the administrators, faculty, and parents of Latina/o students.
The difference between the achievement of White students and students of color has long been a concern of educators. It is well established that critical pedagogy and culturally relevant teaching practices increase the possibility of academic achievement for ethnic minority students, yet, throughout the U.S., the implementation of such practices has been less than optimal. It is also clear that some teachers are doing an excellent job of teaching students of color. What is not clear, is what those teachers are doing and what their practices look like, particularly in secondary classrooms and particularly for Latina/o students, the fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Are successful teachers of Latina/o youth engaging in critical pedagogy or culturally relevant teaching practices? Have they developed caring, empathetic relationships with students that result in greater engagement and academic success? This research project aimed to answer those questions.
By observing and interviewing educators that principals, teachers, and parents all nominated as “successful” for the Latina/o students in a particular school, and identifying the teaching strategies and classroom management routines they employed, I hoped to illuminate key practices and underlying attitudes that other teachers can emulate as they strive to reach and teach Latina/o students.
Checksum
cd8108dc6ff04f32a9434680cfd1a0c8
Recommended Citation
Smith, Glori H., "Learning from the Teaching Practices of Successful Teachers of Latina and Latino Students" (2015). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 4420.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4420
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