| 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. |
