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JPBI: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Vol: 1, No 1, 2023, Page: 1-8

Integration of Culturally-Responsive Teaching in English

Learning
Shinta Yuliantari1, Tanzil Huda2

1 Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember; atniish@gmail.com

2 Universitas Muhammadiyah Jember; atniish@gmail.com

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47134/jpbi.v1i1.17
*Correspondence: Shinta Yuliantari Abstract: This article explores the integration of culture-responsive teaching in
Email: atniish@gmail.com English learning within the context of the new paradigm in education. As
education systems become increasingly diverse and multicultural, there is a
Received: 18-08-2023
Accepted: 20-09-2023
growing recognition of the importance of incorporating students' cultural
Published: 25-10-2023 backgrounds and experiences into the learning process. The new paradigm in
education emphasizes a student-centered approach, where the focus is on
promoting inclusivity, equity, and cultural competence in the classroom.
Through a qualitative research design, this study examines the implementation
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. of culture-responsive teaching in English language classrooms in a secondary
Submitted for possible open access school setting. Data were collected through classroom observations and
publication under the terms and interviews with teachers. The research aimed to understand how culture-
conditions of the Creative Commons
responsive teaching practices are incorporated into English language instruction
Attribution (CC BY) license
and the impact on student engagement and language proficiency. The findings
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/). indicate that the integration of culture-responsive teaching in English learning
enhances student motivation and fosters a positive learning environment. By
incorporating culturally relevant content and instructional strategies, teachers
can create meaningful connections between students' cultural backgrounds and the language they are learning. This
approach promotes a deeper understanding of language concepts and fosters a sense of belonging among students from
diverse cultural backgrounds.

Keywords: culture responsive teaching, new paradigm, English education

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Introduction
In today's interconnected and diverse world, the role of English as a global language
has become increasingly significant. It serves as a bridge that connects people from different
cultural backgrounds, facilitating communication, trade, and education across borders
(Stec, 2014). As English continues to gain prominence as a lingua franca, educators are faced
with the challenge of creating inclusive and effective language learning environments that
celebrate the cultural diversity of their students (Ettekal, 2020; Matthews, 2019). The
traditional approach to English language teaching often prioritized standardization and
conformity, focusing primarily on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. However, this
approach tends to overlook the importance of incorporating cultural elements that are
essential in language acquisition and communication.
The emergence of the "culture-responsive teaching" paradigm seeks to address these
limitations by embracing cultural diversity as a fundamental aspect of language
learning(Barton, 2022; Cruz, 2020; Ng, 2022). This new pedagogical approach recognizes
that language and culture are inseparable and intertwined, and acknowledges the
significant impact of culture on language acquisition, comprehension, and expression
(Baker & Nelson, 2005).
Previous research by Alfriani Ndandara (2021) show that, applying culturally
responsive teaching to the online classroom, in teaching drama based on local wisdom are
considered the right approach in the classroom. This research focus on online class, the
newest research focus on the regular class. Another research from Sastrapraja (2017) the
finding of this research is, learning experience stimulated their desire to learn and curiosity
and broadened their knowledge of chemistry and culture. The introduction of CRT has also
impacted cultural understanding by increasing students' awareness of the role of chemistry
in everyday life, especially in culture. This research focus on chemistry while the latest
research focus in English and new paradigm.
The purpose of this article is to explore the concept of culture-responsive teaching and
its integration into English language learning classrooms. By examining the theoretical
framework behind this paradigm shift and delving into practical strategies, researchers aim
to shed light on its potential benefits for both students and educators. Researcher define the
research problem is “How is the CRT approach applied in teaching English”.

Methodology
When conducting research, each researcher should have a design that guides or
justifies the acquisition of research data. Some experts disagree about what constitutes a
study design. According to Cresswell (Creswell, 2013) Study design includes research plans
and procedures, as well as detailed methods of data collection and analysis. In this context,
the study design used in this study is a qualitative descriptive approach. It is used to
describe the analysis of CRT implementations to teach English.
In this context, the research design used in this study is a qualitative descriptive
approach. It is used to describe the analysis of CRT implementations in teaching English.

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The subjects of this study were SMPN 1 Songgon VII grade students. The samples used
in this study were from his 7th grade at SMPN 1 Songgon. Targeted sampling was used as
the sampling technique, based on the characteristics of the selected samples (Gülteke et al.,
2013).
Three sessions were observed to obtain supporting data on application of the CRT
approach in the classroom. Observers attend each meeting and make observations (in this
case, researchers also act as observers) application of the CRT approach by English teachers.
Observation aims to observe the events that occur during the process learning with a
Culturally Responsive Teaching approach and observing the condition of students with
teachers during learning (Gustiwi, 2017).
The observation guideline sheet was adopted from the Pre-service PPG LMS for
teaching principles and assessment II courses:

Table 1 Observation guide

No. Culturally Responsive Teaching Suitability

Appropriate Inappropriate

1. Students reflect on cultural identity

2. Learners are involved in cultural
understanding and development
construction through learning
materials
3. Students carry out discussions to find
out different perspectives
4. Students work in groups to discuss
lesson concepts from a cultural
perspective
5. Students are involved in reflecting on
their values and understanding by
presenting them in a project

Interview guide sheet adopted from (Suryani et al., 2020) :

Table 2 Question leading

No. Question leading

1. How do you perceive, is it necessary to insert local culture in your teaching?
2. Which local cultural elements are vital to be revived?
3. Why do you think it is significant?
4. How are your teaching strategies to insert cultural elements?
5. What are the challenges?

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Results and Discussion

Table 3 Interview result

No Teacher responds
1. “Our school is a public one. Since there are numerous tribes in this area, incorporating
national and local culture into English lessons is crucial at our school. They will at least
learn to appreciate different civilizations by incorporating local culture. Education of
local cultures is essential”.
“Therefore, learning materials should be created by teachers. Using narrative writing to
describe local legends is one example. They must keep in mind those tales. They should
also be aware of the moral principles that can be employed to develop students'
character”.
2. “Religious tradition and tradition, as they will shield children from harmful influence in
the future if those values are deeply ingrained in them as children. Teamwork, mutual
respect, tolerance, respect for older people, civility, and a sense of pride in one's own
local culture are cultural qualities that should be revitalized and kept”.
“This is due to my perception that our country is currently experiencing a moral crisis.
Therefore, character development is necessary. In addition to developing their cognitive
abilities, it also helps to develop their emotional maturity and character. I believe that
pupils should be trained to recognize social and cultural difficulties in their environment.
They should be sensitive to and knowledgeable about their local and national cultures as
college students”.
3. “I believe that pupils should be trained to recognize social and cultural difficulties in
their environment. They should be sensitive to and knowledgeable about their local and
national cultures as college students. By thinking and feeling about what cultural and
social aspects are being ignored, students can bring them up in class discussions or
utilize them as task or assignment materials. It is anticipated that kids will develop a
sense of cultural belonging in this way. The teachers just serve as organizers and
reminders.”
4. “Incorporating aspects of local culture both inside and outside of the classroom, tying
textbook content to actual local culture to motivate students, creating my own teaching
materials by connecting them to the local context and overall situation.”
5. “The variety of characters and the many different cultures in each region, it could be that
in area A the culture is like that, but in area B it has a slight difference.”
“Even when they are in their later years of education, students may often perceive a
variety of social and cultural difficulties. They can develop their own ideas and opinions
regarding the problems. They make compelling cases for their positions. Therefore, it is
quite challenging to control their thinking, especially when it relates to their deeply held
beliefs and a hot topic in which most of their peers have an interest.”

Through the results of the interview above, it can be concluded that by infusing CRT
principles into the classroom discussions and teaching materials, students have found it
easier to grasp and comprehend the subject matter. CRT's emphasis on acknowledging the
influence of race, power, and social structures has allowed the students to explore literature
and language from a more inclusive and nuanced perspective. Through this approach,

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students are encouraged to critically analyze texts, identify underlying biases, and engage
in meaningful conversations about the diverse experiences portrayed in literary
works(Thomassen, 2020). As a result, the students have become more receptive, empathetic,
and open-minded learners, fostering a more inclusive and enriching educational
environment at SMPN 1 Songgon.
Many English and cultural studies research investigate how national-local culture is
located in English classrooms or how English can be submerged to strengthen national-local
culture. Language teaching should be integrated with local cultural learning to improve
students' intercultural communicative ability (Brdarić & Juraj, n.d.). According to the
postmodern linguistic approach, culture and cultural learning are open discourses that are
dynamically generated and jointly reconstructed by its international speakers. This
structure differs from the current viewpoint, which sees culture as being nationally bound
to the target population (Kramsch, 2017). The data shows that the teachers' classroom
teaching behaviors are influenced by their ideals and perspectives. Based on the
requirements and qualities of their pupils, teachers incorporate local culture into their
instruction. As a result, instructors' teaching perspectives and vision impact their behavior
and approaches to cultural learning.
Culturally responsive teaching may not be possible Focus on a specific strategy set,
lesson plan checklist, or specific content of curriculum. All of these should be directly linked
to the teacher's specific curriculum, students, their needs, communities and their contexts.
However, to close this, teachers can close performance gaps and develop strengths for
different learners, especially in English. For learners, education must provide additional
skills and competencies that teachers must meet. In this way, a culturally responsive
teaching helps develop culturally competent individuals educate and advance equitable
outcomes for all. This section emphasizes the importance of Critical Consideration of
Teachers as a basis for further development of culture provides several practical ways to
improve competency and help teachers begin their CRT implementation classroom
strategy (Taylor, 2020).
To implement a class based on the CRT approach, a teacher must establish a principle
of understanding with students about making decisions on matters directly related to the
teaching and learning process. These include attitudes, curriculum content, assessments,
and so forth. According to Irizarry (2008), such class actions actually reflect a socially
constructed community. Additionally, referring to the description above, it is also added
about the concept of class application that a teacher is not supposed to master the class when
delivering information. Teachers can act as a part that requires information from students.
Based on the research objectives above regarding the application of the CRT approach
to teaching English based on local wisdom, which is based on Irizarry's (2008) theory
regarding the strategy of implementing CRT during the learning process, the researchers
focus on the three point of mapping local wisdom (assess mapping) in this finding. CRT
learning in English classrooms involves various stages, including preparation, presentation,
and interactions between teachers and students. It was discovered that students could
participate in the learning process at various levels.

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The teacher taught the theory about the definition of the content at the start of the
meeting. After the pupils have thoroughly grasped the theories, the teacher continues the
study by inquiring about each student's local wisdom in relation to the content. The teacher
provided opportunity for pupils to tell their short stories. During this session, some students
express their ignorance of the local wisdom lines that exist in their ethnic group. The teacher
separated the students into groups based on their ethnicities at the subsequent meeting. The
teacher then allowed them to provide information regarding their knowledge. This sharing
session was held in groups. This session encourages students to share and expand their
cultural knowledge.
All material regarding the conversation is summarized in narrative style, and students
then briefly describe the class's outcome in English. Students are given the option to
incorporate their tribe's culture into the material. Every meeting monitors the development
of material making, and open talks are always opened if there are difficulties. Every piece
of information shared by the students originated from traditional elders in their village,
including their own parents. Aside from that, there are certain students who are members
of one of their ethnic groups, so they may receive more authentic tale information. The
existing material is finally transformed into a product that is ready to be displayed.
All students participated enthusiastically in the monitoring and production of the
product derived from local wisdom. Students and teachers always respond positively. In
this scenario, the lecturer just leads without drastically altering their manuscript work
because the authenticity of student work is something to be admired. Everything is centered
on the students, and teachers are merely facilitators who are eager to perfect. Every meeting
and conversation regarding the current story are focused.

Conclusion
CRT learning in English classes involves numerous stages, including preparation,
presentation, and interactions between professors and students. Students might learn about
the content in English class throughout the preparation stage. As a result, they could share
and introduce their tribes. Some students, however, are oblivious of their own cultural form.
The reason for this was because they were born and grew up in distinct tribes. Based on the
processes discovered, the implementation of Culturally Responsive Teaching in teaching
English based on their local expertise is viewed as one of the most acceptable teaching
approaches. This approach, in addition to educating theory, assists students in liberating
themselves in representing their ethnic groups by developing and performing their own
theatre plays. Students and teachers connect well, which has a positive impact on every
phase that students go through till they develop their own product. As a result, kids gain
education while also appreciating the culture of their tribes.
Today, teachers are accountable not just for imparting language skills, but also for
bringing and incorporating local cultural elements into their EFL instruction. The study
proposes many positions for teachers to perform in order to meet their new duties. These
include visionaries, cultural mediators on a local level, multicultural educators, and role
models-practitioners. The study suggests several measures that teachers can take to

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incorporate local cultural elements into their teaching practice, including developing local
culturally responsive pedagogy, vision, cultural sensitivity and awareness, developing
English language-non-English collaborative discipline, understanding learners' social-
cultural worlds, and leveraging the roles of technology and information to support teaching.

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