Research Report Analysis
APA Citation for the Article
Swindler Boutte, G., & Hill, E. L. (2006). African American communities: Implications for culturally relevant teaching. The New Educator, 2(4), 311-329.
DOI: 10.1080/15476880600974875
Question set:
Main question: how can culturally relevant classroom instruction change teaching and learning processes?
Sub-question: how effective is barbershop research and sermons for teaching African American school children?
Setting and Population demographics
Setting: three schools in the state of South Carolina.
Population:
Research Methodology
Research design: qualitative ethnographic design. The researchers looked at the teachers who worked in the African American schools and considered their teaching styles. The teaching approaches were adjusted to the African American community; therefore, the study focuses on the cultural features and relates to ethnography. Each of the examples was thoroughly examined and described, which directly corresponds to the qualitative method.
Data tools: the research databases, from which the researchers obtained previously conducted studies on culturally relevant teaching. They focused on the three particular examples of the teachers who applied cultural elements to teaching and made a detailed overview of them.
Approach to analysis: description, making comparisons. All the cases from the literature were described in details and compared to each other. Particularly, there were described and compared the ways the teachers integrated barbershop research and sermons into their usual classroom plans.
Research Results
Result 1: many of the African American schools do not consider the elements of the black culture in teaching and learning;
Result 2: integrating barbershop classes and reading sermons into the African American classrooms helps to capitalize on the students’ strengths and generate their interest for learning;
Result 3: utilizing cultural elements in teaching can provide connection between home and school education;
Result 4: schools should transfer to culturally relevant instruction which can facilitate more effective teaching and learning.
A List of What I Did Not Understand About This Study
Question 1: How can teaching cultural elements motivate students to learn the basic non-cultural subjects as well?
Question 2: How much time per week should be given to cultural education?
Question 3: How to teach culture at classrooms with students of different cultural backgrounds?
Question 4: In these particular examples, were there children who did not get motivated by these ideas of cultural education?
Question 5: Were there any difficulties that children faced during their research project at the barbershops?
Because you Like us: The Language of Control
APA Citation for the Article
Ballenger, C. (1992). Because you like us: The language of control. Harvard Educational Review, 62(2), 199-208. Retrieved from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED479932.pdf#page=39
Question set:
Main question: what language should be used in order to control Haitian preschool students?
Sub-question: what are the differences between the American and Haitian teachers’ choice of the language of control?
Setting and Population Demographics
Setting: the Haitian preschool where the author worked and observed other teachers and interviewed students’ parents; the Brookline Teacher-Researcher Seminar where the author discussed his problems and findings with the members of the seminar.
Population: 4-year old Haitian children, their parents, teachers from the preschool, teachers from the Brookline Teacher-Researcher Seminar.
Research Methodology
Research design: qualitative ethnographic design. Since it was examined the group of Haitian children and their cultural characteristics, the research relates to ethnographical study. In-depth analysis of the case means that the study corresponds to the qualitative design.
Data tools: interviews with teachers and parents, observations of other teachers’ communication with children.
Approach to analysis: description, experiment, comparison. First, the author described the styles used by Haitian teachers to control Haitian preschool students. Then, the author applied their styles in his own classroom and finally analyzed his findings and made conclusions.
Research Results
Result 1: the North American teachers tend to focus more on individual students’ problems whereas the Haitian teachers emphasize group collaboration so that every student in a group would feel safe and comfortable;
Result 2: the North American teachers often tell their students about the consequences of their bad behavior while the Haitian instructors just state that such behavior is bad and ask children not to continue misbehaving for their teachers and parents and God love them;
Result 3: focusing on a group collaboration rather than on individual students’ problems can assist a teacher in controlling Haitian children;
Result 4: showing that misbehavior is bad rather than pointing to the consequences of it is another key factor in controlling Haitian preschool students.
A List of What I Did Not Understand About This Study
Question 1: What are the reasons of children’s behavior change from good at home to bad at school?
Question 2: How can teachers be prepared to such cultural misunderstandings at the classroom?
Question 3: What was the reason of creating a separate preschool for Haitian children?
Question 4: Are there any differences in choosing language of control for Haitian preschool children and for children of other school levels?
Question 5: What was the parents’ reaction on the fact their children are taught by someone who did not understand the Haitian culture?
