Teaching from Within: Developing Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Through Personal Philosophy

Abstract

Given the increased ethnic, social, cultural, and linguistic demographics in US public schools, culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM) can positively influence students' academic achievement and social engagement. Culturally responsive classroom management can decrease discipline and referral rates of students, particularly students of color. Research studies support that culturally responsive classroom management positively impacts students' academic achievement and social engagement. However, few studies have investigated elementary schools using the CRCM framework. This qualitative study investigated elementary school teachers' understanding and perceptions of classroom management (CM), specifically focusing on culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM). This study involved seven public school elementary teachers through semi-structured interviews. The participants were asked to describe their classroom management philosophies and explain the classroom management strategies and practices they implement in their classrooms. Findings from this study suggest the importance of culturally responsive classroom management to accommodate the many different cultural identities of students in US schools.