Empirical evaluation of culturally responsive teaching strategies in multicultural universities

Abstract

The growing multiculturalism of the student population requires universities to define teaching strategies that can promote more effective teaching-learning processes. The theoretical construct analyzed here is Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT), which seeks to establish a dynamic learning environment starting from the culturally acquired knowledge of the learners. Although previous studies on this topic have investigated the relationship between a sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy, the predictive power of these variables is still little explored in the Italian context. This survey evaluates this aspect involving a sample of 360 students who filled in assessments of the CRT, SoB and SEA. We found correlations between these variables and, using these findings as a starting point, constructed a multiple linear regression model to determine the factors on which CRT strategies may have a positive impact.