Teaching personal and social responsibility practitioners’ perceptions of the application of culturally relevant pedagogies

Abstract

ABSTRACT After-school hours are critical to youths’ physical, academic and social development. This time serves as an opportunity for youth to engage in academic programs, sports, positive youth development programs, arts, apprenticeships and more. These programs are common, with 56% of youths participating in sport and physical activity (PA) programs each year Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (2018). However, there is scant research examining the quality and equity of after school programs. Therefore, it is salient to evaluate the quality and equity of afterschool programs. One of the sports-based youth development models used in after-school programming is Hellison’s Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) Model. TPSR provides youth experiences of sport and PA, as well as life skills and transference (Hellison, 2011). An area of research that has not been explored is how TPSR practitioners perceive their programming to be culturally relevant, and how culture impacts their programs. Walsh and Wright (2016) indicated that limited work has been done in implementing TPSR programs in a way that addresses exclusions due to race, ethnicity, gender and social inequalities. The theory of culturally relevant pedagogies (CRP) offers a way to conceptualize the aims of this study. The purpose is to explore to what extent TPSR practitioners perceive that they incorporate CRP into their program. Six TPSR practitioners were interviewed to investigate their implementation of CRP. Cross-case analysis indicated that TPSR practitioners were conscious of their culture and the youths’ cultures, as well as how gender and ethnicity may inform youths’ interests and values. TPSR provided to be a viable model that promotes CRP through inclusive programming, promotion of respect and program format. Areas of concern that did not promote CRP consisted of lack of academic development and lack of promotion of critical consciousness among the youth participants.