Bringing students’ culture into the classroom: perspectives of pre-primary teachers and parents on culturally-responsive instruction in Tanzania

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study examined the role Culturally-Responsive Instruction (CRI) in fostering children’s learning in rural Tanzania. Employing a multiple case study design, the study gathered information from 45 participants (6 pre-primary teachers and 39 parents) drawn from six schools in three districts using interviews, classroom observations, and focus group discussions. Consistent with previous research and the ecological theory, CRI emerged to be instrumental in fostering inclusive classrooms and in supporting meaningful learning. Five culturally-responsive instructional practices – use of native language discourse, traditional songs and dances, story-telling, local and cultural learning materials and domestic animals – manifested in the studied schools. Moreover, teachers modify and adapt their instructional pedagogies while considering the pupils’ cultural and prior learning experiences. However, such adaptability and modification partly depended on the teachers’ cultural competence and orientation. Thus, although encouraging pupils to leverage their cultural capital is critical in classrooms with pupil diversity, flexible pedagogies and curriculum transformation require re-thinking to make learning contextual and meaningful to enhance CRI in early childhood education.