The Relationship Between Professional Development and Teachers’ Efficacy in Culturally Responsive Practices

Linguistically, racially, and economically diverse learners are growing populations in schools across the United States, making it necessary for teachers to implement culturally and linguistically responsive practices to ensure all students have opportunities for cognitive, social, and emotional growth However, professional learning opportunities that address culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices do not correspond with the population growth of diverse learners The result is educators who feel ill-prepared in the use of such practices The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between culturally and linguistically responsive professional development and teachers’ efficacy when working with linguistically, racially and economically diverse learners The study used a qualitative design in which participants of the study were a convenience sample of elementary general education teachers in an elementary school in the United States Six elementary teachers participated in a series of professional development sessions that focused on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices within English language arts (ELA) during an eight-month period The data collection was teacher interviews conducted before participation in professional development and again after participation in professional development This qualitative data provided examples of teachers’ background knowledge, use, and self-perceived professional growth regarding effective use of culturally and linguistically responsive practices when working with diverse learners The results demonstrate that overall teacher efficacy was affected in understanding the definition and use of culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices The information from this study will provide the beginning framework for professional development designed to educate and enhance teachers’ use of effective culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices.