Culturally Relevant/Responsive Education: What Do Teachers Think in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study is to survey teachers' views about culturally relevant/responsive education (CRE), in Turkey, in terms of some variables. The study was designed as a descriptive survey model. The data were collected by means of a scale, Culturally Relevant Education View Scale (CREVS), developed by the researchers. The scale was implemented with 1302 teachers who were selected through random-stratified sampling and who are currently working in seven different provinces: Van, Diyarbakır, Konya, Antalya, İzmir, İstanbul, and Trabzon. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used in the analysis of the data. The results clearly indicate that the teachers are mostly positive toward CRE, they view CRE as a needed education pedagogy (%87) and think CRE can be effective (%85), due to cultural diversity in Turkey. It also appeared that teachers are moderately concerned (%53) about CRE and that teachers' views differ significantly according to personal (gender), environmental (the geographical area where they grew up, the level of family socioeconomic status), educational (the graduation programs, branches/subjects, the experiences related to diversity/multicultural education), and professional (the number of cities they have worked, the province/city they teach currently) characteristics. Based on our findings, we suggest making CRE a central part of teacher education, both during initial preparation and during professional development. © 2018, Florida Gulf Coast University. All rights reserved.