Faculty sense of efficacy for culturally responsive literacy instruction at Hispanic serving institutions: an exploratory inquiry

Abstract

This study focused on the faculty perceptions and their sense of efficacy for providing culturally responsive literacy instruction. The Pew Research Center (2017) determined that Hispanics are the largest minority group enrolled in public universities but only 15% of Hispanic students graduate college. Therefore, there is a need to address the challenges that minority students are facing to help close the achievement gaps among them. Analysis in the areas of faculty's self-perceptions and sense of efficacy for culturally responsive literacy instruction strategies to better assist students of minority groups in higher education are provided. Due to the non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn. Researchers developed the Self-Efficacy Scale for Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction in Higher Education questionnaire for the purpose of data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze the data. There were 280 respondents, of which, 235 had completed the survey questionnaire in its entirety. Results from this study showed that age, years of teaching experience, ethnicity, and academic rank were not related to the outcome measures. Additionally, female participants reported higher self-efficacy scores than male counterparts and those who had received professional development in culturally responsive instruction outperformed the comparison on all study variables except self-efficacy reading. Results from this also study yielded pedagogical implications and directed future research considerations.