Search for culturally responsive practice

: narratives on instructional beliefs in an international school in China serving local and foreign national students

Abstract

This thesis presents an examination of instructional belief and decision making as it responds to international school and schooling class environments where instructors are asked to work with students from both expatriate and host country backgrounds. This examination is conducted through the lens of how cultural development impacts instructional practice. This thesis heeds the call from researchers who have suggested the need for further understanding of instructional belief formation within international school settings. Theories from educational philosophy, philosophical psychology, cultural studies, and learner theory are brought into the discussion in an attempt to address concerns regarding the theoretical underpinnings of how cultural development impacts instructional practice. The combined framework advances a model of international school instructional practice that provides specific signposts that allow for inquiries and assessment of instructional decision-making within multi-cultural class settings. This study uses a qualitative research design involving narrative analyses generated from unstructured interviews, individual self-reflections, observations, and document analysis. My analysis of key informants provides additional insight into the cultural bias implicit in instructional decision making. The significance of the analysis was the generation of a number of themes that are reflective of a wider reinforcement of culturally responsive practice within the classroom. Each of the themes generated were influential in how instructors analyse class environments and shape the learning experience. The organizational and geographic context for this examination is an international school located within China.

Date of Award	15 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Nottingham
Supervisor	Robert Weekly (Supervisor) & jane Medwell (Supervisor)