ERIC Number: EJ778038
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 17
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-7136
EISSN: N/A
Wrapping the Curriculum around Their Lives: Using a Culturally Relevant Curriculum with African American Adult Women
Sealey-Ruiz, Yolanda
Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory, v58 n1 p44-60 2007
This study examines how African American adult female students respond to a culturally relevant curriculum. Research confirms that adults enter college classrooms with a variety of experiences that they value and experiences to which they wish to connect. Black female students in particular possess knowledge unique to their positionality in American society, and they want to apply this knowledge to what they are learning. A curriculum that speaks to their personal experiences and ways of knowing can be a bridge to connect what they want and need to learn. Three themes emerged from this study involving Black women and culturally relevant curriculum: language validation, the fostering of positive self and group identity, and self-affirmation or affirmation of goals. The study's findings reveal that the approach of integrating students' experiences as an explicit part of the learning agenda encourages them to participate to the fullest extent in their own education. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Females, African American Students, African Americans, Adult Students, Culturally Relevant Education, African American Culture, Higher Education, Cultural Influences, Social Influences, Curriculum Development, Self Concept, Identification (Psychology), Black Dialects, Feminism, Urban Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A