The Role of Culture and Diversity in Learning and Teaching Educational Psychology
Who are you as a person and an educator? How have the various facets of your cultural and social identities shaped your own experiences and views? Who are your students? How will their cultural backgrounds affect their learning, development, and motivation in your class?
These are vital questions in today’s classroom—a truth that Ellen Usher and I were reminded of while writing the 15th edition of Educational Psychology. Specifically, several educational psychology instructors at Michigan State University told us that the cluster in our book on cultural and diversity came too late for today’s realities. These instructors believed that a discussion of the many aspects of identity should be front and center, informing the study of all topics in educational psychology. So, Ellen wrote our new Cluster 2, “Who Are You? Who Are Your Students? Culture and Diversity.”
Grounded in the fact that we all are shaped by many forces and factors, Cluster 2 provides insight about why we must understand and appreciate our students’ identities, as well as our own. Throughout the cluster, we offer research and resources to help you and your students explore your identities and the role of culture and diversity in learning and teaching. In the overview, we explain that:
Nearly all aspects of educational psychology — from how brains work to how you can create a positive workflow in your classroom — are better understood when we are able to recognize the ways in which our cultural and social backgrounds have uniquely shaped who we are. The cultural composition of classrooms in the United States and around the world is constantly evolving. Frank Pajares, who was Ellen’s advisor in graduate school and one of the wisest educational psychologists we know, once observed that “the critical questions in education involve matters that cannot be settled by universal prescription. They demand attention to the cultural forces that shape our lives” (Pajares, 2000, p. 5). We believe he is right. In this cluster, we explore the ways in which culture forms the fabric of our society.
We will start with a look inward. Understanding yourself and your own frame of reference is key to understanding others. Then we will meet two individuals whose stories bring the statistics on cultural diversity and intersectionality to life. We will consider the development of cultural based stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination as they affect teaching and learning. With a broad conception of culture as a basis, we then examine three dimensions of every teacher’s and student’s identity: social class, race/ethnicity, and gender and sexual orientation. Then we turn to a consideration of culturally responsive education, an approach to teaching that embraces diversity, and we look at ways to create culturally welcoming classrooms. The last section presents four general principles for teaching every student.
Table 2.1 provides a good sense of the new focus in this cluster. It includes a set of reflective questions to guide your students (or you) in writing an educational autobiography. A few of the questions are:
- What was your family’s educational background? What was your household income? Whom have you lived with?
- How would you describe your parents’ social class and status?
- Where have you lived? How would you describe your home(s) and neighborhood(s)? Where have you traveled?
- What were the values, norms, and expectations in your home?
- What learning tools (e.g., books, computers, games, people) were available to you at school and at home?
- What were your formal schooling experiences like? What kinds of schools did you attend? What kinds of classes were you in (or not in)? How did you feel at school?
- What were your informal learning experiences (e.g., faith groups, sports, travel, music, camps, work) like?
- How were your teachers? Who or what has been your most influential teacher?
- How would you describe your peers and classmates?
- What was the most typical aspect of your education? What was most atypical?
- How have you felt different from others? When, where, and by whom did you feel most and least accepted?
- How much trust did you feel in people in your community (e.g., peers, teachers, neighbors)?
- How would you describe your own cultural background? How has it affected you?
With the addition of Cluster 2, the latest edition of Educational Psychology speaks to the realities of today and the importance of understanding the power of identity. We hope you will explore our text and share your thoughts.
About the author
Dr. Anita Woolfolk Hoy, The Ohio State University
Anita Woolfolk Hoy was born in Fort Worth, Texas, where her mother taught child development at TCU and her father was an early worker in the computer industry. After receiving her PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas, she was a psychologist serving students in elementary and secondary schools in 15 counties of central Texas. She began her career in higher education at Rutgers University in 1973, then moved to The Ohio State University in 1994. Today she is Professor Emerita at Ohio State.
Anita’s research focuses on motivation and cognition, specifically, students’ and teachers’ sense of efficacy. For many years she was the editor of Theory Into Practice, a journal that brings the best ideas from research to practicing educators. She is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Educational Research Association, and has been President of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of APA and Vice-President for Division K (Teaching & Teacher Education) of AERA.
Anita has authored or coauthored over 120 books, book chapters, and journal articles. Her seminal text, Educational Psychology (15th edition, 2023) has been translated into over a dozen languages and adapted for a worldwide audience. The latest edition was coauthored with Ellen Usher. Anita also has collaborated with Nancy Perry, University of British Columbia, to write the 2nd edition of Child Development (2015) and with her husband, Wayne Hoy, to complete the 5th edition of Instructional Leadership: A Research-Based Guide to Learning in Schools (2020).
