Understanding elementary teachers' perceptions of students of color and low socioeconomic status students

This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis sought to understand how elementary teachers perceived Students of Color and low socioeconomic status students. The primary focus of this investigation was to explore teachers’ evolving assumptions of their students’ cultural capital, grounded in their interpretations of individual’s social assets, conceptions of self, and the influence of sociopolitical forces, which have the potential to shape teachers’ perceptions of their students. The secondary focus was to glean insight into how elementary teachers’ beliefs of the cultural capital of students informed their academic decision making. Participants were three White, middle class, female veteran teachers in one racially and socioeconomically diverse suburban district in Upstate New York. Transcripts were analyzed to identify themes viewed through Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory lens. Three superordinate themes emerged: the importance of personal relationships and experiences in shaping one’s beliefs, the influence of societal stereotypes and school district beliefs in shaping teachers’ perceptions, and conceptions of students’ cultural capital and academic decision making. The findings in this study support much of the existing literature on how an individual’s cultural capital leverages advantages and elevates status for students from the dominant culture and points to opportunities for ongoing dialogue and professional development regarding the dangers and lasting implications of teachers’ judgments and evaluations of students based on their social assets. The study found an infiltration of sociopolitical factors that influenced educators’ perceptions of their students and the need to bring about teachers’ consciousnesses of their beliefs regarding students with dissimilar backgrounds to explore biases and reduce misconceptions regarding students’ aptitudes, behaviors, and social assets which threaten to uphold inequalities within schools.