Hip hop as a form of culturally relevant pedagogy: teacher perceptions and experiences

For decades there exist wide disparities in achievement between Black and Latino students and their White counterparts. This qualitative case study, framed within an interpretivist research paradigm borrowing principles of ethnography, explores the perceptions and experiences of ten secondary urban teachers throughout the greater Los Angeles area who incorporate Hip Hop - as a form of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - within the curriculum in their respective classrooms. Specifically, this study examines to what extent teachers' experiences have improved teacher/student relationships, increased student motivation and engagement, and affected student academic achievement. Findings from this study suggest that when Hip Hop is incorporated within the curriculum during instruction, positive teacher/student relationships are established, student's become more engaged in their learning, and students are motivated to succeed academically. This study concludes with recommendations that include the need for further exploration on the effects of Hip Hop based instruction in relation to student academic achievement; additional research to be conducted in understanding the experiences and perceptions of parents' thought and beliefs on the effects of Hip Hop being incorporated in their child's education; and finally recommending that teachers and administrators be provided resources and opportunities to better understand how to incorporate Hip Hop as a form of culturally relevant pedagogy within their urban spaces of learning.