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Urban Rev (2014) 46:574596
DOI 10.1007/s11256-014-0272-y
Blaire Cholewa Rachael D. Goodman
Cirecie West-Olatunji Ellen Amatea
Published online: 4 February 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Scholars have shown that educational experiences within the classroom may marginalize students of color which may result in psychological distress. However, the utilization of culturally responsive educational practices (CRE) can create environments in which marginalized students can thrive not only academically, but psychologically. The authors provide a qualitative case study examining the culturally responsive practices of one teacher through a relational cultural theory (RCT) lens. The ndings suggest that CRE practices may serve as psychological interventions that are associated with decreased psychological distress and increased psychological well-being amongst students of color. Specically, students demonstrated behaviors depicting a number of RCTs ve good things, including zest, empowerment, connection, clarity, and self-worth, that improve psychological well-being according to RCT.
Keywords Cultural responsiveness Psychological well-being Relational
cultural theory
B. Cholewa (&)
Counselor Education Department, Kean University, 306 Hennings Hall, 1000 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083, USAe-mail: [email protected]
R. D. Goodman
Counseling and Development Program, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
C. West-Olatunji
Counseling Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
E. Amatea
Department of Counselor Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
A Qualitative Examination of the Impact of Culturally Responsive Educational Practices on the Psychological Well-Being of Students of Color
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Introduction
Well-documented educational disparities exist between African American, Latino American students, and their more afuent White peers (Aud et al. 2011). These disparities have been linked to social factors, such as poverty and oppression, as well as educational factors, including instructional practices and studentteacher relations (Brown 2003, 2004; Gay 2010; Ladson-Billings 1994; Nieto 2004a, b). More recently, discussion has focused on the associated emotional and psychological effects of systemic oppression, cultural discontinuity, and educational hegemony in schools (Cholewa and West-Olatunji 2008; Goodman and West-Olatunji 2010). Hegemony refers to the authority of one group over another, while educational hegemony relates to the dominance of Eurocentric values and ideas in traditional educational practices within the school setting (Boykin 2001; Dawson 1984; Goodman and West-Olatunji 2010; Jay 2003).
Prior attempts to address academic underachievement focused primarily on decit-oriented frameworks that may exacerbate students negative attitudes towards themselves...