Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Arzu Yamaç; Esin Kumlu

Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of pre-service English language teachers within the framework of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in higher education in Türkiye. As cultural diversity in classrooms increases, the need for inclusive teaching practices becomes more pronounced. This narrative inquiry explores the lived experiences of 40 second-year English language teaching students (17 male, 23 female) during the 2023–2024 spring semester. Culturally responsive content was systematically incorporated into a 14-week English Literature course. Data collection methods included narrative frames, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and a teacher log. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that exposure to culturally responsive pedagogy enhanced intercultural awareness, reduced implicit biases, and strengthened participants’ commitment to inclusive education. Additionally, the implementation promoted professional growth and intercultural sensitivity by fostering empathetic engagement and critical reflection. These results underscore the transformative potential of culturally responsive pedagogy in teacher education and highlight the need for structured integration of such practices into pre-service teacher training curricula.

Keywords

References

References
Acquah, E. O., & Szelei, N. (2018). The potential of modelling culturally responsive teaching: Pre-service teachers’ learning experiences. Teaching in Higher Education, 25(2), 157–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1547275
Arar, K. (2020). School Leadership for Refugees’ Education: Social Justice Leadership for Immigrant, Migrants and Refugees (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429021770
Banks, J. A. (2004). Multicultural education: Historical development, dimensions, and practice. In J. A. Banks & C. A. M. Banks (Eds.), Handbook of research on multicultural education (2nd ed., pp. 3–29). Jossey-Bass.
Barkhuizen, G., & Wette, R. (2008). Narrative frames for investigating the experiences of language teachers. System, 36(3), 372–387.
Barutcu, O., Sarıdaş, G., & Nayır, F. (2024). Teacher perceptions about the culturally responsive education approach of the Turkish education system: Q methodology study. Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Language, 4(2), 65–95. https://doi.org/10.20375/0000-0012-1a19-4
Batchelor, K. E., Ramos, M., & Neiswander, S. (2019). Preservice teachers and culturally responsive pedagogy: Exploring the connection through reflective practice. Multicultural Perspectives, 21(3), 133–140.
Bourn, D. (2016). Teachers as agents of social change. International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 7(3), 63–77. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1475774/

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Byram, M. (2012). Language awareness and (critical) cultural awareness: Relationships, comparisons and contrasts. Language Awareness, 21(1–2), 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658416.2011.639887
Byram, M., & Feng, A. (2004). Culture and language learning : teaching, research and scholarship. Language Teaching, 37 (3). 149-168. doi: 10.1017/S0261444804002289
Caingcoy, M. (2023). Culturally responsive pedagogy: A systematic overview. Diversitas Journal, 8(4), 3203–3212. https://doi.org/10.48017/dj.v8i4.2780
Castagno, A. E. (2014). Educated in whiteness: Good intentions and diversity in schools. University of Minnesota Press.
Clandinin, D. J., & Caine, V. (2013). Narrative inquiry. In A. Trainor & E. Graue (Eds.), Reviewing qualitative research in the social sciences (pp. 166–179). Routledge.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research. JosseyBass.
Cochran-Smith, M., Stringer Keefe, E., & Smith, R. J. (2020). A study in contrasts: Multiple-case perspectives on teacher preparation at new graduate schools of education. The New Educator, 17(1), 96–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2020.1822485
Cruz, R. A., Manchanda, S., Firestone, A. R., & Rodl, J. E. (2019). An examination of teachers’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy. Teacher Education and Special Education, 43(3), 197–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406419875194
Cummins, J. (1996). Negotiating identities: Education for empowerment in a diverse society. California Association for Bilingual Education.
Çelik, S. (2014). Communicative language teaching. In S. Çelik (Ed.), Approaches and principles in English as a foreign language (EFL) education (pp. 183–199). Eğiten. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262913475
Çınarbaş, Halil & Hos, Rabia. (2016). Cultural responsiveness in EFL teaching: Reflections from native instructors. Journal of Language and Cultural Education, 4. 27–40. 10.1515/jolace-2016-0014. DOI:10.1515/jolace-2016-0014
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.
Eagleton, T. (2000). The idea of culture. Blackwell.
Erikson, F., & Mohatt, G. V. (1982). Culture and language as factors in learning and education. In J. W. Stigler, R. A. Shweder, & G. Herdt (Eds.), Cultural psychology: Essays on comparative human development (pp. 88– 113). Cambridge University Press.
Ersoy, İ. (2019). Examining the readiness levels of social studies teacher candidates for culturally responsive education [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, Graduate School of Educational Sciences.
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism, and education. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137385765
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
Gay, G. (2013). Teaching to and through cultural diversity. Curriculum Inquiry, 43(1), 48–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/curi.12002
Gulya, N., & Fehérvári, A. (2023). Fostering culturally responsive pedagogy related competencies among pre-service teachers: A systematic review of the recent research literature. Research Papers in Education, 39(2), 348–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2023.2228312
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. Anchor Books.
Hu, X., Xu, Z., Neshyba, M., Geng, Z., & Turner, R. K. (2020). A multi-dimensional model: Implications for preparing pre-service teachers for culturally responsive teaching. Asia-Pacific Journal of
Teacher Education, 49 (2), 282–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2020.1753169
Kahraman Vangölü, S., & Şahin Sak, İ. T. (2022). Türkiye’de kültürel değerlere duyarlı eğitim ile ilgili yapılan çalışmaların incelenmesi/Investigation of the studies related to culturally responsive education in Turkey. Journal of Sustainable Education Studies, Special Issue 1, 169–181. Retrieved from https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/seader/issue/69007/1057737
Karataş, K. (2018). Evaluating elementary teaching undergraduate program in terms of culturally responsive pedagogy [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Dicle University, Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
Karatas, K., & Oral, B. (2019). Evaluating elementary teaching undergraduate programs in terms of culturally responsive elementary teacher training. i.e.: inquiry in education, 11(2), 6.
Kaygısız, S. (2024). Identifying transversal skills for developing a culturally responsive EFL teaching habitu via mixed methods research [Doctoral dissertation]. Middle East Technical University. OpenMETU. https://open.metu.edu.tr
Khalifa, M. A. (2018). Culturally responsive school leadership. Harvard Education.
Kim, H. J. (2024). Guidelines for culturally and linguistically responsive instruction in higher education.
TESOL Journal, 15(4), e807. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.807
Kramsch, C. J. (2002). Language and culture. Oxford University Press.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Problematizing cultural stereotypes in TESOL. TESOL Quarterly, 37(4), 709– 719. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588219
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to postmethod. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2007). Cultural globalization and language education. Yale University Press.
Kumlu, E. (2023). Becoming a dreamcatcher: Pre-service EFL teachers’ experience of culturally relevant pedagogy as agents of flexibility. Educational Research and Reviews, 18(9), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2023.4346
Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. Jossey-Bass.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465
Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Three decades of culturally relevant, responsive, & sustaining pedagogy: What lies ahead? The Educational Forum, 85(4), 351–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2021.1957632
Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. In P. Cranton (Ed.), New directions for adult and continuing education (No. 74, pp. 5–12). Jossey-Bass.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage.
Moran, P. (2001). Teaching culture. Heinle & Heinle.
Nayir, F., & Sarıdaş, G. (2020). A conceptual review of multicultural education, intercultural education, and culturally responsive education. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 8(3), 1018–1044. https://doi.org/10.14689/enad.25.6
Nayır, F., & Sarıdaş, M. (2023). Türkiye’de artan çeşitlilik karşısında öğretmenlerin kültürel yeterlikleri/Teachers’ cultural competence in the face of increasing diversity in Turkey. Eğitim ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 20(2), 87–104.
Nieto, S. (1996). Toward an understanding of school achievement. In Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (pp. 229–277). Longman.
Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (5th ed.). Pearson.
Oltulugil, E. C. (2023). Ortaokul öğretmenlerinin kültürel değerlere duyarlılıklarının çeşitli değişkenler açısından incelenmesi: İstanbul ili Üsküdar ilçesi örneği/Examining middle school teachers’ sensitivity to cultural values in terms of several variables: Example from Üsküdar, Istanbul [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Marmara Üniversitesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
Pantić, N., & Florian, L. (2015). Developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice. Education Inquiry, 6(3), Article 27311. https://doi.org/10.3402/edui.v6.27311
Parkhouse, H., Lu, C. Y., & Massaro, V. R. (2019). Multicultural education professional development: A review of literature. Review of Educational Research, 89(3), 416–458.
Quinlan, K. M., Thomas, D. S. P., Hayton, A., Astley, J., Blackwood, L., Daramy, F. K., Duffin, M., Haider, M. A., Husbands, D., Joiner, R., Kay, H., Mosoeunyane, M., Turner, I. J., Walsh, C., & West, D. (2024). Promoting students’ interest through culturally sensitive curricula in higher education.
Higher Education, 88(4), 1331–1351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01172-z
Sanczyk, A. (2020). A narrative inquiry of second language teacher agency in promoting culturally responsive pedagogy [Doctoral dissertation]. University of North Carolina at Charlotte Repository. https://ninercommons.charlotte.edu/record/1701/files/Sanczyk_uncc_0694D_12398.pdf?ln=e n

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

English As A Second Language, Language Studies (Other)

Journal Section

Dissertation

Authors

Arzu Yamaç This is me
0009-0006-7941-862X
Türkiye

Esin Kumlu ^*
0000-0002-6884-6382
Türkiye

Publication Date

July 27, 2026

Submission Date

March 24, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 3, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 2 Number: 2

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Yamaç, A., & Kumlu, E. (2026). Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Contemporary English Language Studies, 2(2), 1-15. https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU

AMA

1.Yamaç A, Kumlu E. Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. CELS. 2026;2(2):1-15. https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU

Chicago

Yamaç, Arzu, and Esin Kumlu. 2026. “Is It As Easy As It Sounds?: Exploring Pre-Service English Language Teachers’ Experience With Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”. Contemporary English Language Studies 2 (2): 1-15. https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU.

EndNote

Yamaç A, Kumlu E (July 1, 2026) Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Contemporary English Language Studies 2 2 1–15.

IEEE

[1]A. Yamaç and E. Kumlu, “Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”, CELS, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 1–15, July 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU

ISNAD

Yamaç, Arzu - Kumlu, Esin. “Is It As Easy As It Sounds?: Exploring Pre-Service English Language Teachers’ Experience With Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”. Contemporary English Language Studies 2/2 (July 1, 2026): 1-15. https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU.

JAMA

1.Yamaç A, Kumlu E. Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. CELS. 2026;2:1–15.

MLA

Yamaç, Arzu, and Esin Kumlu. “Is It As Easy As It Sounds?: Exploring Pre-Service English Language Teachers’ Experience With Culturally Responsive Pedagogy”. Contemporary English Language Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, July 2026, pp. 1-15, https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU.

Vancouver

1.Arzu Yamaç, Esin Kumlu. Is it as easy as it sounds?: Exploring pre-service English language teachers’ experience with Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. CELS [Internet]. 2026 Jul. 1;2(2):1-15. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA95YD87MU