Understanding the Impact of Teacher Self-Perceptions, Classroom Practices, and School Contexts on the Implementation of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

The purpose of this collective case study is to examine how teachers' individual backgrounds, self-perceptions, and school contexts impact interdisciplinary planning and teaching. Additionally, this study also explores the factors that either support or inhibit teachers from enacting Ladson-Billings' (1995) Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP).The findings of this study demonstrate that teachers are capable of implementing Gay's (2002) Culturally Responsive Teaching (CResT) in their classrooms, but face difficulty in incorporating critical consciousness, which is a key component of CRP. Critical consciousness involves having students consider elements of social justice from a perspective that is critical of hegemonic societal norms (Freire, 1973).The results of this study suggest that in order to successfully achieve CRP in their classrooms, teachers require an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum planning and delivery as well as additional support from teacher educators and representatives of school leadership. This type of added support can materialize through the formation of professional learning communities as well as the necessary, dedicated planning time to collaborate with colleagues to share the planning efforts required to develop critical consciousness in their classrooms.