Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Debi Briggs-Crispin, EdD

Second Advisor

Sarah Hahn-Huston, DEd

Abstract

Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a research-grounded pedagogical approach for educational equity centering cultural knowledge to make learning meaningful and relevant (Gay, 2002). However, a persistent gap remains between CRT as a concept and classroom implementation. Research suggests translating the principles of CRT frameworks into classroom practice remains challenging (Gay, 2000, 2010; Sleeter, 2012). Guided by the research question and using Schreier’s (2012) qualitative content analysis approach, I analyzed a dataset of 14 varied sources through a deductive coding frame derived from four theoretical frameworks: (a) Gay’s (2000, 2010) CRT, (b) Hammond’s (2015) ready for rigor, (c) Paris and Alim’s (2017) culturally sustaining pedagogy, and (d) Muhammad’s (2020) culturally and historically responsive education. Twenty-two deductive categories emerged from these frameworks. I identified 188 segments/units that explicitly described CRT implementation and then assigned each to one of the 22 deductive categories. Findings showed CRT implementation was represented most frequently through categories aligned with Gay and Hammond: (a) curriculum, (b) instruction, (c) classroom climate, (d) social awareness/sociocultural consciousness, (e) partnerships, and (f) cognitive learning supports. Categories aligned with Paris and Alim and Muhammad appeared less frequently, and findings suggest this lower frequency reflected less explicit representation of those categories in codable implementation language across the dataset. Findings also suggest implications for classroom practice, preservice teacher preparation, leadership, and policy that support moving CRT from theory to action-based implementation in educational practice.

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