Removing cultural barriers to motivation

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Spring 2003 by Beckett, Amie Mitchel

Using children's literature as a vehicle to promote intercultural understanding, teachers can incorporate multiple cultural perspectives into the curriculum and motivate a diverse population ofstudents.

Immigrant students are a growing presence in U.S. schools, and teachers who previously had no contact with children from diverse cultures and language backgrounds are challenged to motivate these newcomers. Although our nation's history abounds with stories of motivated immigrants who succeeded in shaping their own version of the American Dream, not all students are similarly motivated when faced with a new culture. When similarly challenged, why do some students remain motivated, while others grow disenchanted, alienated, or even hostile? How can educators provide sources of motivation for new pupils while continuing to build the motivation of established students?

Even under the best circumstances, the cultural gulf between students and teachers can undermine motivation. Children's literature can bridge that divide, providing a vehicle for intercultural understanding and an appreciation for systems of meaning using multiple cultural perspectives.

The Cultural Divide

In the children's story La Mariposa (Jimenez 1998), six-year-old Francisco is attacked by his classmate Curtis, because Curtis thinks Francisco has stolen his jacket. A fight ensues, and, because the boys speak different languages, they are unable to determine what happened. Actually, the jacket, which Curtis had lost at school, mistakenly made its way from the lost-and-- found box to the donation box, and the principal had given it to Francisco, whom he found shivering on the playground. After the fight, both boys are kept inside during recess, and Francisco is upset and hurt because his teacher chose to punish him along with his attacker.

He is too distraught to pay attention in class, which is always a struggle for him, and his emotional state prevents him from participating in regular classroom activities. Despite his frustration and confusion, Francisco does not communicate his feelings because he knows from his traditional rural Mexican upbringing that a well-- educated child never talks back to a teacher. In this cultural context, education does not refer to the subject matter of learning; rather, it reflects an understanding of politeness routines and relationships within the group (Valdez 1996). Francisco's traditional values emphasize a formalized system of behaviors based on showing respect for a person's position in the family or community. To violate these routines would be viewed as disrespectful and is a cultural taboo.

A teacher holding a dominant U.S. cultural perspective might interpret Francisco's withdrawal from a confusing situation as a lack of motivation or commitment. This misinterpretation could result in more punitive and less sensitive interactions, ultimately resulting in a child's genuine lack of motivation.

If cultural misunderstandings are not brought to light and clarified, students may feel alienated and confused. Given these circumstances, students may abandon the classroom community and seek other sources of support that ultimately undermine their motivation to achieve in school and beyond. In a worst-case scenario, students could be attracted to gangs and other criminal groups. Alternately, they might withdraw into a safe community of underachievers and fail to reach their potential. Only students who have the drive to succeed despite challenging circumstances are able to draw on the resources of the community at large and to gain acceptance as full members of that community.

Bridging the Divide

Classroom learning communities can model the kind of give-- and-take that prepares all students for full membership in a multicultural society. The case of Francisco, presented in picture book format, provides a forum for discussion of important ideas and interpretations of events. What was Francisco's understanding of the incident involving the jacket? What did Curtis think had happened? How did the language barrier contribute to this conflict?What does the butterfly (la mariposa) symbolize? What does Francisco's gift to Curtis reveal at the end of the story? Students who identify closely with events in the story can provide valuable insights that benefit others.

The cultural confusion experienced by the students and the teacher in La Mariposa is not at all uncommon in U.S. schools. Using the book as a basis for discussion, deeper cultural meanings can be explored in a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. In the absence of such discussion, students as well as teachers may misinterpret one another's motives, ideas, and potential, and motivation will suffer. To facilitate this discussion and clarify the significance of culture as it relates to motivation, a framework for analysis is needed.

Framework for Analysis

To the average person, culture is an elusive concept. Definitions of the term vary, from patterns of behavior and material objects in a cultural setting to the beliefs, values, attitudes, and knowledge of a cultural group (Fetterman 1989). From a cognitive perspective, culture is a filter that provides a basis for assigning meaning and value to experiences and ideas. Culture provides the foundation for learning and teaching strategy, and is thus important in motivation. To complicate the picture, culture is woven into the fabric of our interactions, values, and beliefs, and is therefore difficult to bring to conscious awareness.