How Can Teachers of English Achieve Equity in their English Classrooms? A case study on how teachers use intersectionality and intersectional pedagogy in the English classroom to address educational inequalities and facilitate their pupils' differing needs.
Creators: name: Kapcia, Sophia
Publisher: name: Lancaster University
Year: 2024
Subjects: intersectionality, intersectional perspective, discrimination, oppression, outcomes, pupil attainment, aspirations, English classrooms, empirical data, working-class pupils, teachers, schools, education policymakers, qualitative studies, relationship, intersectionality and English, inclusivity, equity, working-class school contexts, teaching quality, genders, races, social backgrounds, qualitative interviews, focus groups, thematic analysis, curriculum, classroom, equitable education, invisible voices, race, ethnicity, gender, social class, disadvantage, disability, lesson planning, cultural background, sensitive conversations, deliberate practice, planning, traditional power structures, identities, experiences, common ground, understanding, underachievement, educational inequality, equitable classrooms, diversity, inclusion, success, working-class backgrounds.

description: An intersectional perspective refers to how different aspects of a
 person's social, racial, and political identities interact to create
 discrimination. There has been extensive research on the concept of
 intersectionality, in terms of how different forms of oppression interact
 and work together in complex ways to create different outcomes for
 individuals and groups; however, little is known about what intersectional
 interventions and strategies work to increase pupil attainment and
 aspirations in English classrooms. Additionally, there is a lack of
 empirical data which is necessary to substantiate intersectionality theory
 when it comes to English classrooms predominantly composed of
 working-class pupils. Therefore, the findings of this thesis are of
 interest not only to teachers and schools but also to education
 policymakers because they build on the small number of qualitative studies
 exploring the relationship between English and intersectionality and
 extend this literature by improving our understanding of this
 relationship.
 
 
 In this thesis, I explore how teachers use intersectionality and
 intersectional pedagogy in the English classroom to address educational
 inequalities and facilitate pupils' differing needs, resulting in a
 sense of inclusivity and equity for all pupils. This thesis therefore uses
 intersectionality to irradiate the experiences of Teachers of English in
 predominantly working-class school contexts, and the impact
 intersectionality and intersectional pedagogies have on teaching quality
 for pupils from different genders, races, and social backgrounds.
 Qualitative interviews with 20 Teachers of English and two focus groups
 with six teachers each were conducted to investigate this issue, and
 thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data. Intersectionality
 theory was used to give voice to the voices of teachers as they navigate
 the curriculum and the classroom to provide a more equitable education for
 their pupils. Intersectionality theory also helps teachers to ensure that
 the invisible voices in their classrooms are heard by ensuring that race
 and ethnicity, gender, social class, disadvantage, disability and more of
 these many diverse voices are heard in the English curriculum which then
 will be reflected in their lesson planning. 
 
 
 As well as knowing their students, having a thorough understanding of
 their cultural background and being able to engage in sometimes sensitive
 and difficult conversations with students, the findings show that
 embedding intersectionality in the English curriculum and English
 classrooms requires deliberate practice and planning by teachers. This
 deliberate practice is necessary to create an inclusive learning space
 that challenges the traditional power structures within the English
 classroom. Through this practice, teachers can focus on the various
 identities and experiences of their students to ensure that all voices are
 heard and valued. In addition, the findings suggest that if
 intersectionality strategies and interventions they are adopted more
 widely they can assist teachers and schools in finding common ground and
 understanding across different educational settings. To address
 underachievement and educational inequality, classrooms should be more
 equitable in order to create an environment that fosters a sense of
 diversity and inclusion so that pupils of all racial, social, and economic
 backgrounds can succeed. This will directly benefit pupils from
 working-class backgrounds.