The College of Education announces the final Dissertation of

Margie Stevens

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

October 30, 2017 at 1:00 pm in 103 Ball Hall

Major Advisor: Alison Happel-Parkins, PhD

Navigating Cultural Differences in an Afterschool Literacy Program

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how undergraduate tutors navigate cultural differences with second grade students in an afterschool literacy tutoring setting. This study explored the following research questions 1) What cultural assumptions do tutors make throughout the tutoring process about the students they tutor? 2) How do tutors’ cultural assumptions influence the tutoring process? 3) How do tutors and students navigate instances of cultural misunderstandings as they arise? 4.) How do the tutors perceive a change in their cultural assumptions by the end of their participation in the tutoring program? Findings revealed four themes that influenced how novice tutors navigated cultural differences in tutoring elementary students in an afterschool literacy tutoring program. These findings included: 1) Caring and respectful relationships were purposefully established; 2) Race and socioeconomic differences led to misunderstandings between the tutors and students; 3) Incorporating the student’s home culture and technology bridged cultural mismatches; and 4) Discussions of racist events disrupted the normal flow of tutoring. Findings indicate that while purposefully developing caring and respectful relationships is time consuming, it is an important asset in the tutoring relationship. Second, it is argued that the tutors need to develop skills related to cultural competency. Finally, in addition to becoming culturally competent, tutors need to develop a racial and intersectional awareness.