This section describes the process in which the research was conducted. Within this section of the website, the information on the preparation, execution, and analysis of the process of conducting this study is explained and described.
Theoretical Framework
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a social construct concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it. CRT tries to shed light on the issue of racism claiming that racism is ingrained in our society both in legal, cultural, and psychological aspects of social life.
Under CRT, systemic racism is the only permissible explanation for differences in outcomes between racial groups. The concept of “systemic racism” is intended to be hard to pin down: If you ask how a “system” as opposed to individual people and their actions can be racist, you will not get a coherent answer. Accusing an entire society of structural racism is part of a strategy that seeks to justify radical, destructive political changes. If everything is racist, then what?
Kimberlé Crenshaw a specialist in race and gender issues also known as a leader in the Critical Race Theory intellectual movement divsied term "intersectionality". In 1989 Crenshaw wrote an article "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex in Anti-discrimination Law: A Black Feminist Critique" which used traffic intersections and metaphors to illustrate the interactions between racism and sexism. "The metaphor served not only to frame the vulnerability of Black women to discrimination and erasure, but also mapped the ways that Black women were marginalized within several discursive projects," (Crenshaw, 12). The theory of intersectionality suggests that an individual is comprised of multiple identities that interact on simultaneous levels that contribute to systemic oppression or social inequality. "Intersectionality, as I have understood it, attends to both the ways that categorization has facilitated and rationalized social hierarchy and to the institutional and societal structures that have come to reify and reproduce social power," (Crenshaw, 14) Basically, intersectionality is both how the categorization of social groups creates social hierarchy, as well as how institutional and systemic structures create and reproduce social power. In addition, all social and cultural identities of an individual (gender, race, class, ability, sexual orientation, and religion) are interlocking mechanisms rather than additive categories.
Although, this theory began as a part of law sciences, nowadays, there is a great interest in CRT in the field of education, helping people to understand some forms of discrimination that face non-white people in education. As classrooms become increasingly diversified, teachers must use culturally responsive teaching practices to address diversity and cultural differences, establish relationships and encourage inclusivity.
What can culturally responsive teaching practices bring to the classroom and students throughout different academic domains?
Method
To illustrate application of methodology developed in this research of what culturally responsive teaching practices can bring to the classroom and students throughout different academic domains, the database utilized as Google Scholar was used to identify sources. The internet was used because of its limitless networking of sources. Only studies since 2012 were included in this literature review. The search terms selected for this literature analysis consisted of: culturally responsive teaching, elementary racism, inclusion, and the academic domains of math, science, ELA, and history. I looked two pages into the database for each term. The terms were combined in various ways with “and” in order to obtain a narrow-defined search for appropriate articles. Each search term used was selected due to its appropriateness and relevance in consideration of the purpose of this literature review.
Sources were selected and analyzed according to a number of criteria.
First, the source had to be in line with the purpose of the literature review based on the research question of the article.
Second, the sources had to be primary sources.
Third, the sources had to be from a peer-reviewed journal source. In addition, each source also had to be in alignment with the theme of this literature review- culturally responsive teaching across all academic domains.
Finally, I ensured that each of the journal articles used had the most recent publication date, going back to 2010, as culturally responsive teaching is relatively a new field. After taking each factor into consideration I analyzed the data itself.