This document discusses how culture and identity affect education. It examines factors such as race, ethnicity, language, social class, and religion and how they shape students' experiences and academic achievement. Race can influence education through racism, poor school funding, and teacher stereotypes. Language barriers like not speaking the language of instruction can negatively impact performance. Social class is linked to parental involvement and access to resources. Religion sometimes influences debates around teaching evolution and sex education. Understanding differences in culture, values, and experiences is important for teachers to effectively support all students.

1. Culture Identity in Education
Ed.D. 712 (Comparative Education)
By: Florie May S. Gonzaga

2. What is Culture and Culture Identity?
Culture refers to the customs, practices, languages,
values and world views that define social groups such
as those based on nationality, ethnicity, region or
common interests.
Cultural identity refers to groups or individuals (by
themselves or others) in terms of cultural or subcultural
categories (including ethnicity, nationality, language,
religion, and gender). In stereotyping, this is framed in
terms of difference or otherness.

3. Today’s students are far more diverse—by race, culture, ethnicity,
language, social class and religion. (Sadker and Zittleman 2007). As a result,
many teachers are struggling to better serve students from cultures other
than their own (National Education Association 2008).
Every student in the classroom with a set of behaviors and characteristics
that makes him or her unique and that will affect his or her academic
achievement.
Furthermore, students identify with certain groups to experience a feeling
of belonging. Campbell (2004) stated that students of all ages have a strong
need to belong to groups, because groups provide a source of motivation.
Failing to understand some of the cultural differences of students can result
in a poorer learning environment for them. Conversely, appreciating
cultural differences can enable teachers to select appropriate children’s
books, plan a culturally responsive curriculum, and provide a classroom
environment that is welcoming to all children and their families.

4. “The Effects of Culture Identity in Education”
“Race”
• A group of people united or classified together on
the basis of common history, nationality, or geogr
aphic distribution.
• The term “race” relates to supposed biological
differences such as differences in skin colour, hair
texture or shape of eyes as between different
social groups.

5. How does race affects education?
Racism plays a critical role in an educational
environment. Minority students are less likely to
pursue a postsecondary education (Swail 2003) for
the following reasons:
• pupils may trust and respect someone with
whom they share a salient characteristic, making
learning come more easily.
• a teacher of the same race may serve as a more
effective role model, boosting students’
confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

6. • Poorly funded under racist
• Classist system ( low-income students may
lack up-to-date equipment, access to out-of-
class programs/fieldtrips, basic equipment
such as textbooks and safe schools
• Bullying that would cause isolation, loneliness,
disconnection, and discrimination
• Color

7. “Culture”
The old saying “Know thyself” rings true in understanding culture.
The first step is self-awareness, and the second, cultural
reciprocity.
We first identify our own cultural values and then
determine the cultural values of others. While noting the
similarities and differences, we accept and respect
others.
The final step is cultural appreciation, also known
as cultural competency—the ability to maintain
appropriate behaviors and roles within our own culture
using the natural support system (LaFromboise, et al.
1993). Cultural competency involves respect for others, a
willingness to learn about others, and the ability to
understand that others may have different viewpoints.

8. While teachers cannot be expected to study and know
every culture they may encounter in their classrooms,
they can be prepared to learn on the spot. With a healthy
cultural competence, teachers will be prepared to identify
learning differences or needs in students as well as to
interact with their parents.
All of the students in a given class are sharing the
common experiences of their classroom, and thus they
create their own unique classroom culture. However,
within that classroom environment, each student also
brings the cultural sensitivities from their home
environment. It is due to this multicultural diversity that
teachers would be well-served to use a culturally relevant
pedagogy.

9. How Culture Affects Education?
Eye Contact
Kids from many Latin American and Asian cultures
show respect by avoiding the glance of authority
figures. A teacher who’s unfamiliar with this cultural
norm, however, might interpret the lack of eye
contact as just the opposite — a sign of disrespect.
For many American Indian children, looking a
teacher in the eye and answering her question in
front of the class is “showing off.” Yet a teacher who
doesn’t know this could think the child was
unmotivated or inattentive.

10. Physical Contact
Culture greatly influences attitudes about physical
contact, whether it’s a handshake, hug, or pat on
the back. In Asia, female friends often hold hands
and men casually embrace one another as they
walk down the street. Americans, however, may
feel uncomfortable with such public behavior. In
some Asian cultures, affectionately patting an
adult’s head is strictly taboo, although it can be
acceptable behavior between adults and young
children.

11. How close should people stand to each other
when they’re having a conversation?
In areas of the Middle East and South America,
people stand very close when talking. European
Americans like to have more distance between
them, while some African Americans prefer even
more space. You can create great discomfort by
standing too close to another person. Not being
aware of this can even prevent someone from
understanding or accepting the ideas you’re
trying to get across.

12. To create a positive environment for communication,
your nonverbal message must closely match your verbal
message.
• First, recognize your own expectations about nonverbal
communication, and then find ways to learn about
those of individuals and other cultures. One way to do
this is to carefully observe how kids and families speak
and behave around each other and with people of
authority. This can provide clues about the true
meaning of their nonverbal interactions.
• Nonverbal messages have a powerful impact on what’s
communicated. When a person is sensitive to these
silent messages, he’s far more likely to interact with
others in a friendly, comfortable manner and to make
his spoken message more understandable.

13. “Ethnicity”
• The term ethnicity relates to cultural
differences which may exist as between
different social groups and sociologists see
this term as more useful than “race” for the
analysis of different social groups.
• Ethnicity-refers to groups whose members
share a cultural heritage from one generation
to another; normally defined on the basis of
Race

14. Factors which can reduce a child from an ethnic
backgrounds attainment:
 Social class and material factors – Minority ethnic children are
more likely to live in low-income households. This means they face
the problems that Douglas highlighted, the material factors, such as
poor quality housing, no working space etc.
 Language – For many children of an ethnic minority English is not
their mother-tongue. This can be a disadvantage because they may
not understand exams as well as others. Also they might struggle to
express themselves with limited English. Finally, some teachers may
mistake poor English for a lack of intelligence, when actually this
could be completely untrue, meaning that a clever child may be let
down by the teacher who might not push the student to their full
potential.
 Family Life – African-Caribbean communities have a high level of
lone parenthood. This can mean that many face financial problems,
this can lead to lower achievement in school (Douglas’ material
factors). Conversely, single mothers can be a positive role model or
influence for many young girls, meaning they perform better in
education.

15. RACISM – There are two key ways in which racism can
affect attainment amongst children on ethnic minority:
A culture of resistance – Racism can lead to low-self
esteem among ethnic minorities. A marxist Hall said
that this can lead to a rejection of school, he called it a
“culture of resistance”
Teacher stereotyping, labelling and conflict in the
classroom – whilst very few teachers are consciously
racist some may subconsciously hold prejudice against
ethnic minorities. This can lower the students
attainments in many ways, one is that the teachers give
the student lower grades. Another way is that the
teacher negatively labels a student of ethnic minority
which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. Racism can
also lead to conflict between students and teachers,
making learning much harder.

16.  Ethnocentric school curriculum
Ethnocentric - (individuals believe that they are better than other
individuals for reasons based solely on their heritage.). There are several
reasons why ethnic minorities may struggle due to this curriculum. One is
that the subjects often focus on British culture; naturally White British
students will have grown up with this culture, so they might have a
greater understanding of the content than students who grew up in a
different culture. Another reason is that the content of the curriculum
could lower ethnic minorities self-esteem, this is because often the white
character is seen as “good” and superior whilst the ethnic minorities are
seen as “evil” and inferior.
Some ethnic minorities do better than the average in education.
Reasons for this could be:
• Teacher stereotyping: Some teachers might stereotype some ethnic
minorities (such as Chinese and Indian) to be intelligent and hard-
working. This can bring with it all the benefits high teacher
expectations.
• Family Life – Research has shown that some parents of ethnic
minority, such as Chinese and Indian, take more interest in their child’s
education, they also encourage their child more than other in other
cultures. This obviously leads to higher achievement of the child.

17. “LANGUAGE”
Millions of children in nations around the world
enter classrooms each year unable to speak the
same language as the teacher. In the United
States alone, English language learners are one
of the fastest-growing populations within the
educational system. Language barriers can have
long-term negative effects on a student's
academic performance.

18. For many children from homes where languages other than
English are spoken, learning English can be a challenge. This
brief provides resources and strategies to assist and support
teaching staff facing difficult situations when working with
children who speak other languages.
At issue is the fact that some of the behaviors that children
might engage in during these developmental periods, such as
playing in isolation and not speaking in either language, may
be misinterpreted or mislabeled as a problem when in fact
children are simply beginning to acquire the new language.
Second-language learners might exhibit social interaction
patterns along with limited communication abilities that are
similar to those exhibited by children identified with specific
language impairments or with speech impairments. Thus, it is
not uncommon for many of these children to be labeled as
having challenging behaviors or communication disorders
when in fact they are following a fairly typical developmental
path in acquiring a second language.

19.  Oral Language Development
According to Helen Pinnock at Save the Children UK's Education
Team, children are approximately 12 years old before they fully
master their native language. Before this point, children are not
able to pick up a second language as quickly as older children or
adults. Children who begin learning a new language before they
completely understand their first language have difficulty
expressing abstract concepts or ideas in the second tongue.
Ultimately, it is difficult for a child to succeed as a language
minority student without having a solid foundation in his first
language.
 Emotional Factors
According to John Schumann, a second language acquisition
professor from the UCLA Department of Applied Linguistics, many
second language learners are afraid that they do not have a strong
enough command of the language to express themselves and worry
that they will be ridiculed if they try to communicate with others
using the new language. This situation can cause significant
emotional stress and may interfere with learning.

20.  Parental Involvement
Parental involvement is often much lower among language minority
families. These parents may be uncomfortable about coming into the
classroom to talk with the teacher because they are not fluent
themselves, so they might not be fully aware of how their child is
performing in the classroom. Language minority parents cannot always
help their children with homework, so homework assignments may
not always be completed satisfactorily.
 Academic Failure
Pinnock claims that children experience higher failure rates in school if
the language they learn at school is different from the one spoken at
home. In 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) conducted research across 26 countries
showing that over 50 percent of students who dropped out of school
did not speak the language in which they were being educated. This
applies to the United States as well. A 2012 report by the American
Psychological Association noted that Latino students who spoke one
language at home and another at school were at increased risk of
graduating late or dropping out of high school.

21. Lifting the Barriers
Language barriers are a difficult hurdle, but they
can be successfully overcome. Classroom teachers
can help by using techniques such as highlighting
and discussing academic vocabulary before
introducing the lesson, providing the same material
at differentiated reading levels, and by using clear,
simple language when describing new concepts.
One of the most important things a teacher can do
to help language-minority students is to build
relationships with her students and their families.
This builds trust and respect, which is a necessary
foundation for learning.

22. “SOCIAL CLASS”
-a division of a society based on social and economic
status.
In an ideal world, all students would have an equal shot
at success, and excellent schools and educators have
dedicated themselves to this goal. However, social class
can greatly affect a student's success, and there is a
correlation between low socioeconomic status and
academic problems. These academic problems can lead
to difficulties later on, including unemployment, dropping
out of school and taking a low-wage job.

23.  Parental Achievement
A child's first role models are usually her parents, and children
take cues from the adults they live with about potential goals,
keys for success and what opportunities might be open to them.
According to the textbook "Child Psychology," children whose
parents completed high school or graduated from college are
more likely to do so themselves. Children with a relatively high
social class tend to have parents who have achieved these
milestones, while children in lower social classes are less likely to
have parents who model these achievements.
 Class and Environment
A higher social class correlates with access to resources such as
tutors, private lessons, private schools and higher quality public
schools. Conversely, children in lower socioeconomic classes may
live in impoverished, stressful environments with fewer
resources. A 2012 article in "Youth and Society" emphasizes the
ways in which decreased access to such programs can diminish
academic achievement, decreasing opportunities for future
success.

24.  Correlations with Class
Low social class is correlated with other factors that can decrease a
child's likelihood of success. For example, "Child Psychology" reports
that children of lower social classes are more likely to be abused and
neglected, more likely to be exposed to substance abuse and more
likely to move frequently. The stress of these factors can interfere with
a student's ability to do well academically, diminishing possibilities for
future success. A 2012 article in the "American Journal of Community
Psychology" found that children in lower social classes have higher
rates of mental illness and criminal behavior.
 Bridging the Gap
A child's social class doesn't predetermine her life, and children from
poor backgrounds often succeed while children from wealthy
backgrounds sometimes fail. A 2012 article in "Youth and Society"
emphasized that access to community activities such as sports teams
or after-school programs can decrease the risks of living in an
impoverished area. Similarly, "Child Psychology" points out that
stabilizing a child's environment -- by teaching a parent parenting skills,
removing an abusive caregiver or ensuring adequate nutrition -- can
lower the risks associated with low socioeconomic class.

25. “RELIGION”
Understanding religious beliefs other than one’s
own is a key element of tolerance, since faith
traditions often define a significant part of a
person’s identity. In the United States, the
spectrum of religious diversity is a part of our
culture as a whole, and religions can sometimes
be at the center of political debate. This can
happen when certain laws impact the way a
person practices his or her religion.

26.  Evolution
The theory of evolution is fundamental to biological studies, but
because it conflicts with some religious views of creationism,
some groups have argued against its inclusion in secular
education since Darwin published "On the Origin of Species" in
1859. According to Gallup, 46% of people in the U.S. believe that
God created humans independently, and only 15% believe that
humans evolved with no divine intervention. Because school
boards and other elected entities can change with any voting
cycle, the impact these beliefs have on education can change in
any given year, and they tend to vary greatly by state. In
Tennessee, a bill protecting "teachers who explore the 'scientific
strengths and scientific weaknesses' of evolution and climate
change" passed in 2012. Kansas schools taught Intelligent Design
between 2005 and 2007 but now teach mainstream science,
according to the Kansas State Department of Education's
website.

27.  Sex Education
Evangelical Christian groups are strong proponents for abstinence-only
education, which encourages adolescents to abstain from sexual
activity until marriage. In 2012 alone, Congress set aside $5 billion to
fund abstinence-only programs, despite evidence that such programs
leave young people ill equipped to protect themselves from STDs and
pregnancy, according to the article, "Abstinence-Only Education
Debate Resurfaces," published on the U.S. News and World Report
website. "The Journal of Adolescent Health" reviewed these programs
and studies associated with them, finding that students "who failed at
abstinence were less likely to use contraception after they did initiate
sexual intercourse." This is illustrated by a University of Georgia study,
detailed in the article "Abstinence-Only Education Does not Lead to
Abstinent Behavior, UGA Researchers Find" on the University of
Georgia's website. The study indicates that states offering abstinence-
only programs exclusively have much higher rates of teen pregnancy.
David Hall, an assistant professor of genetics at Franklin College who
co-authored the study, posits, "It may even contribute to the high teen
pregnancy rates in the U.S. compared to other industrialized
countries."

28.  Dress Codes
Some schools institute dress codes or uniforms to ensure students are
dressed appropriately for a learning environment. Banning headgear is a
common dress code rule. However, some religious groups, including Muslims,
Jews and some Native American tribes, consider headgear to be part of their
identity. At times, this has conflicted with school dress codes; in 1997, school
officials suspended a Muslim student for refusing to remove her hijab.
According to CNN, the school attorney at the time, D.D. Hayes, said, "As I see
it right now, I don't think we can make a special accommodation for religious
wear." Although other schools have taken action against students who
expressed their religious identity, most schools are willing to accommodate
religious garb.

29.  Proselytizing
Teachers and other school employees
should not promote their own religion or
penalize students who do not share their
religion. The law allows students to pray at
school in private but does not allow them
to lead mandatory prayers, pray at
graduation ceremonies, actively proselytize
to their fellow students or promote
religious bullying. In Collier County, Florida,
school officials allow groups to distribute
religious literature "passively," by leaving it
on tables for students to read. Despite this
ruling, secular humanist groups were asked
to remove their "passively" distributed
secular literature from a school setting,
igniting a lawsuit that cited discrimination,
according to the article, "Atheist Group
Sues Orange Schools, Claiming
Censorship," published on the Orlando
Sentinel's website.

30. THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE STUDENTS-
WHAT TEACHER SHOULD KNOW
 Student Self-Concept
The set of beliefs that individuals hold about themselves is termed self-concept or
self-image (Bennett 2003). Socializing agents- such as peer groups, media, parents,
and teachers-influence the development of a positive or negative student self-
concept. A positive self-concept contributes to the academic success of the student,
while a poor self-concept "becomes one of the most challenging individual differences
in how he or she will learn" (Bennett 2003, 222).This challenge requires teachers to
address a variety of social and academic needs of students.
As students develop their self-concept during adolescence, they also develop a sense
of cultural identity. An awareness of their self-concept and cultural identity provides
the foundation for how students define themselves in terms of how others view them.
Thus, teachers need to view students as cultural beings, embrace student diversity,
and validate the cultural identity of students. In doing so, classrooms that model
tolerance and appreciation of student differences will be created.

31.  School Environment
 Teachers must be aware of how much cultural identity influences the
education of students.
 Teachers must be cognizant that their teaching practices, their interactions
with students, and their own ideas about identity influence the academic
success and social development of their students.
 Students can discover and share their cultural identities through writing
projects that focus on their cultural heritages.
 Develop lessons that highlight students' cultures and experiences.
 Student-teacher and student-student interactions.
 The teacher can meet students' needs by modeling a concerned attitude
for the well-being of students and by creating a caring environment where
students feel valued and appreciated.
 A teacher also may show care and concern for students by expressing an
interest in their daily or extracurricular activities.
In turn, students should respond positively to a teacher who understands the
cultural dynamics of the classroom. Students will strive to build a respectful
rapport with the teacher because they feel that the teacher genuinely cares
about them.

32.  Multicultural Teaching
Teachers can help students feel comfortable with their cultural
identity and assist them in their learning by using a multicultural
teaching approach that embraces diversity in the classroom.
Campbell (2004, 60) wrote, "Multicultural education should
assist students as they learn and explore their changing
identities.
" Teachers with a multicultural education perspective can assist
students through culturally relevant teaching, which Gay (2000,
1) defined as "using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences,
frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse
students to make learning encounters more relevant to and
effective for them.“
Teacher getting to know students on a personal level, building
teaching around the students' interests when possible, and
showcasing the talents of students and using those student gifts
as teaching tools (Bennett 2003).

33. Additional Information on what the teacher should do.
• Our students need to belong, to be valued, and to be appreciated
on a daily basis.
• Students' cultures have value in the classroom, and these cultural
identities must be validated through lessons and teaching practices.
• A philosophy that demands high expectations of all students is the
beginning of empowering students for success.
• The teacher's ability to identify with students or understand the
cultural identities of students is necessary for addressing the needs
of every student. Therefore, teachers must learn as much as
possible about their students so that they can structure activities,
build curricular materials, and tap into resources that will help all
students be academically successful.
• "Teachers must empower students to succeed by providing them
with a Learning environment that respects their culture, embraces
their diversity, and celebrates their differences."

34. Three Underlying Principals of Culturally Relevant Teaching,
Bennett (2003)
a. students must experience academic success,
b. students must develop and/or maintain cultural
competence, and
c. students must develop a 'critical consciousness through
which they may challenge social injustice.
That is, teachers must empower students to succeed by
providing them with a learning environment which
respects their culture, embraces their diversity, and
celebrates their differences. Teachers can empower
students by spending more time mentoring them rather
than managing them.

35. WHAT'S A TEACHER TO DO?
1. Call students by their correct names. Ask for help with pronunciation of unfamiliar
names, and help classmates learn to say the names. Do not offer to change or shorten
their names or give them nicknames.
2. Ask students how they identify themselves. ("Asian American," "Asian Pacific
America," "Korean American," etc.) Do not assume a particular nationality or
birthplace. Some students' families will have lived in the U.S. for many generations;
others may be recent immigrants.
3. Don't assume Asian American students will have particular academic or athletic
interests. Encourage broad participation in all aspects of school life.
4. Help all students identify and challenge the stereotypes of Asians that might arise in
film, literature, textbooks, or TV -- Asians as martial arts fighters, math and science
geniuses, docile housewives, conciliatory merchants, bloodthirsty warriors or sneaky
businessmen.
5. If Asian American students express an interest in their Asian cultures, encourage
efforts to bring that cultural connection into the classroom. Seek out literature from
their culture to include in the curriculum. Learn words of greeting in their native
language and teach these phrases to the entire class. Invite students to describe
special holiday celebrations and religious observations. Ask a representative from the
Asian-American community in your area to speak to your class.