Date of Award

Summer 2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Kamania Wynter-Hoyte

Abstract

Teaching about equity and diversity can be a challenge for elementary school teachers due to many factors including lack of understanding, resistance from parents, and discomfort due to the current political climate. This action research aims to examine the experiences of the teacher and second grade students as they use cultural literacy to explore multicultural texts. This action research took place in an upper-middle class community in the suburban area of Long Island, near New York City, where most participants identified as white. The data for this research took place over a six-week period. Observations, transcripts, journaling, and artifacts were collected and analyzed. Eighteen students and a classroom teacher participated in a read aloud and discussion three times a week, for 30 minutes, during the social studies block of the class day. Using a qualitative, ethnographic approach, the data was categorized and triangulated. The positionality of the teacher was considered, as she was the classroom teacher, and a middle-class white woman. Themes that emerged from the data analysis were identifying the established norms of whiteness and class privilege, discovering discomfort in the discussions, and the importance of critical dialogue. These findings indicate a need for professional development for teachers around multicultural education, including space for reflection and discussion. The findings also indicate that explicit, repetitive use of critical literacy questions lead to deeper understanding from students.

Rights

© 2025, Amelia Marzieh Hecker

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