ABSTRACT HALL-CAMPBELL, NIAMBI. Culture in Context, A Mixed Methods Exploration of School Climate and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Beliefs in Bahamian Secondary Education. (Under the direction of Dr. Craig C Brookins). A number of studies examine the relation between teacher training and culturally relevant pedagogy (Buehler, Ruggles-Gere, Dallavis, and Shaw-Haviland, 2009) however; examples of the relationship between school climate and culturally relevant pedagogy are scarce in general and non-existent in a Bahamian context. Moreover, it is not clear whether the current measures of culturally relevant pedagogy developed for an American educational setting are applicable in the Bahamas. The purpose of this research was to determine Bahamian definitions of these constructs and examine them in a Bahamian context using a sequential exploratory mixed method design. Perceptions of Bahamian pedagogy were obtained through semi-structured interviews (N= 7) and a focus group to devise measures of culturally relevant pedagogy in a Bahamian context (Phases 1 and 2). In Phase 3, Bahamian secondary education teachers and administrators (N = 227) were surveyed regarding their perceptions of school climate (Hoy et al., 2002), efficacy to enact culturally relevant pedagogy and beliefs in the positive outcomes of using culturally relevant pedagogy (Siwatu, 2007). Both Bahamian and American-derived instruments were used. The major findings of the study demonstrated that culturally relevant pedagogy in a Bahamian context is a distinct construct, operationalized differently than in an American context. A new factor structure of the American derived scales was evidenced and school climate emerged as a positive predictor of culturally relevant pedagogy as measured by both indicators. Implications for defining Bahamian education and teacher training are discussed. Culture in Context: A Mixed Methods Exploration of School Climate and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Beliefs in Bahamian Secondary Education by Niambi Francese Hall-Campbell A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Raleigh, North Carolina 2011 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ ______________________________ Craig C. Brookins, Ph.D. Susan S. Jakes, Ph.D. Committee Chair ______________________________ ______________________________ Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, Ph.D. Rupert Nacoste, Ph.D. DEDICATION I dedicate this work to the memory of my grandfathers, Hanover Hall and James A. Campbell and specifically my grandmothers Orion Johnson whose desire to learn served as inspiration and Ida O. Hall who with a third-grade education, helped to propel a nation forward, upward onward and together. ii BIOGRAPHY Niambi F. Hall-Campbell was born in Nassau, Bahamas to Franklyn Campbell and Virginia Hall-Campbell. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of North Carolina - Asheville. After graduation she worked for a year as the program coordinator of an out-of-school program for placed-at-risk, African American boys called C.R.E.E.D. There she developed a keen interest in community psychology and developed a desire to use culture and context as educational tools. Following this interest she obtained her Master’s of Science degree in Community Psychology from Florida A&M University where her thesis was the first to explore the psychometric properties of the African Self-Consciousness Scale on a sample of Bahamian college students. Upon completion of this degree she entered the Psychology in the Public Interest Program at North Carolina State University. Niambi’s interest in community psychology and the intersections of culture and context continue to spark her intellectual curiosity and serve as the conceptual foundations upon which her work is based. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1. Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks……… ......................................................................2 Statement of Problem .................................................................................................................4 The Bahamas in Context ............................................................................................................4 History......................................................................................................................................4 Geography ................................................................................................................................6 Economy ..................................................................................................................................7 Culture and Identity .................................................................................................................7 The Bahamian Educational Context from Inception to Independence ......................................8 Emancipation ...........................................................................................................................9 Majority Rule .........................................................................................................................11 The Current System of Education ............................................................................................15 Influences ...............................................................................................................................20 CHAPTER 2. Literature Review .............................................................................................23 Culture Defined ....................................................................................................................23 The Role of Schooling .........................................................................................................26 Cultural Maintenance ...........................................................................................................26 Cultural Hegemony ..............................................................................................................27 iv School Culture ................................................................................................................... 28 School Climate ................................................................................................................... 34 Summary of Research on School Culture and Climate ............................................. 37 Culturally Relevant Pedagogy ........................................................................................... 37 Components of Cultural Relevancy .............................................................................40 Summary of Research on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy ...........................................43 Alternatives to Cultural Relevancy .................................................................................... 43 Teaching Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy ..............................................................45 Summary of Teaching Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy ............................... 48 Purpose of the Study .......................................................................................................... 49 Significance of the Study .....................................................................................................51 Assumptions ....................................................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER 3. Method ..............................................................................................................53 Phase1 Participants ............................................................................................................ 54 Data Collection ............................................................................................................55 Phase 2 Participants ........................................................................................................... 55 Phase 3 ............................................................................................................................... 57 Measures ..............................................................................................................................59 Demographic Questionnaire ........................................................................................59 Bahamian Teaching Outcome Expectancy Indicator ..................................................60 Bahamian Teaching Self-Efficacy Indicator ............................................................. 60 Culturally Responsive Outcome Expectancy .............................................................. 60 v Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy .......................................................... 61 Organizational Climate Index (for high schools) ........................................................61 CHAPTER 4. Results...............................................................................................................63 Results related to the research