Understanding Cultural Differences

Language is a carrier of both culture and information, and so is influenced by a number of cultural factors. Your family's cultural background can have an impact on a child's learning style and experience with language. It's important for parents and teachers to be aware of cultural differences, and adjust education styles and methods to accommodate for the child's cultural background.

Recognizing and Supporting Cultural Differences Positively Impacts Reading Performance

Studies have shown that when teachers have increased awareness of diversity, children made significantly more progress over first year at school on all literacy measures including reading and writing abilities.
Educators who see their role as adding another cultural affiliation versus subtracting a student's primary language and culture are more likely to empower students.
For underrepresented minorities, the amount that students language and culture are incorporated into the school program is a strong predictor of academic success. The more you acknowledge and become familiar with diverse cultures, the more successful your students will be!

Recommended steps to success:

Four Things Teachers and Schools Can Do:

Gain cultural knowledge and adjust instructional patterns to account for culturally conditioned learning styles accordingly
- e.g., The Hawaiian people have a culture driven by oral storytelling and a shared history through community and oral communication rather than written text.
- The Kamehameha Early Educational Program in Hawaii changed reading instruction to allow for collaboration, discussion, and open interpretation of the texts.
- This led to dramatic improvements in both reading and verbal abilities.

2. Community Participation

Integrating and representing minority communities at schools will help minority students feel more accepted in their learning environment, and more involved in their own learning.
Involve minority parents as partners in their child's education! This helps parents and children to develop a sense of efficacy and is associated with positive academic consequences.

3. Recognize Discriminatory Assessment Practices

When assessment materials are developed, they are designed with majority populations in mind.
- This leads children from minority populations to perform poorly on tests that do not account for differences in learning styles, background, and culture.
Recognize and challenge the way the current socio-educational system tends to disable minority students!
- For more information on education policy and policy suggestions visit our Education Policy page.

4. Consciously create a diverse classroom

Parents: Your Culture may Affect the Way You Read with Your Child

If you've read our Family Involvement page, you know that as a parent, you play an important role in your child's language development. But did you know that your cultural background may make you more or less likely to engage in dialogic reading and responsive parenting techniques?

How do adults in your culture view reading and language development? What is your parenting style?

Studies have shown that beliefs about reading, such as exposure to reading, attitudes toward reading, and expectations for child behavior vary across cultures. To see if you are less likely to have a responsive parenting style, ask yourself the following questions.

Does your culture:

View reading as a means of preparing for a successful future?
View reading as more of a chore that will lead to later achievements than an enjoyable activity?
Place more value on obedience and respect for adults than others, which manifests as stricter control over the child's behavior?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you likely have a less responsive parenting style. A responsive parenting style helps your child engage and interact with you, and allows them to practice and better develop their language skills. If this is not your natural tendency, it is worthwhile to practice dialogic reading and responsive scaffolding. Don't worry! Dialogic reading is something that you can improve upon with your child by practicing at home.

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