Implementing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Computing Classrooms: Voices and Experiences from Public School Teachers

This study focused on teachers' experiences in implementing culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in grade 6-12 computing classrooms. We developed a series of computing courses and trained public school teachers from participating middle and high schools during the Summer of 2020. More than 60 school teachers were trained to teach CRP infused computing courses. All teachers are from districts with high percentages of underrepresented racial minority ( URM) students in a Southern State in the U.S. The data collection process is two-fold. First, we conducted interviews with the teachers after the summer training. Second, we are in the process of conducting classroom observations and the second round of interviews with teachers regarding their post-training teaching experiences. The CRP theory, White racial frame, and colorblind racism are used as theoretical frameworks to interpret the data. Preliminary results revealed that some teachers tend to understand cultural differences from a color-blind perspective. The understanding of CRP may be influenced by teachers' backgrounds and characteristics. Due to the limitation of resources, teachers often find it difficult to enrich their teaching by adding individualized culturally relevant components beyond what is included in the curriculum. Our study will make theoretical contributions as well as policy implications benefiting CRP implementation in computing classrooms. Our findings will reveal critical challenges teachers face when teaching CRP infused computing courses to URM students; thus will generate practical recommendations to design and improve relevant curriculum development and professional training.