Writing autobiography to develop Culturally Responsive Competency: Teachers' intersections of personal histories, cultural backgrounds and biases

This study investigated elementary school teachers' and pre-service teachers' autobiographies for developing Culturally Responsive Competency (CRC). The study's purpose was to engage participants in reflecting about their personal histories, cultural backgrounds and biases; making connections with the impact these have on interactions with culturally diverse students, and CRC. The data consisted of written autobiographies, excerpt read-alouds and a semi-structured interview. The findings indicated that teachers' writing, sharing and reflecting on their autobiographies was an effective strategy to develop CRC, which teachers would transfer into their classrooms. Conclusions highlighted positive implications for teachers' CRC and awareness of transcultural classroom dynamics; teacher educators' responsibility in developing and modeling CRC; and the need for further research on specific strategies in this field.