African American Teachers’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Perceptions Of Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Culture, & Hip-Hop Pedagogy In An Urban School District

Abstract

Teachers incorporate a wide array of teaching strategies to implement instruction. One such strategy scholars have proposed is the implementation of hip-hop based education (HHBE). Although research suggests there are positive student outcomes from HHBE, there is not widespread adoption of this strategy. This qualitative study is framed by the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine how teachers' beliefs and attitudes about hip-hop music and culture could be an indicator of their intentions and willingness use HHBE in their professional practice. Since teachers employ a variety of teaching strategies, it is important to understand how attitudes and beliefs toward hip-hop might predict their perceptions about HHBE as a useful strategy. This research is premised on the belief that teachers’ personal backgrounds and professional experiences affect their intention and decision to utilize HHBE as an instructional strategy. Qualitative methods were used to understand how teachers’ attitudes about hip-hop and hip-hop culture help predict their intention to use HHBE in the classroom. A focus group and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 teachers in an urban school district. Data collected was analyzed using an inductive reasoning approach based on Miles & Huberman’s (1994) framework for qualitative data analysis. The following three themes emerged: (1) The Conflicting Relationship with Hip-Hop; (2) The Evolution of Hip-Hop: When Hip-Hop Grew Up; and (3) Hip-Hop Based Education is Work. Due to participants' experiences with hip-hop music and culture, their beliefs and attitudes did not always result in the intended behavior. This study has theoretical implications as well as implications for K–12 education.