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Chapter 6 - How Race Impacts Teaching Returning Adult Students

from Part I - Experiences – The Journey from Student to Faculty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2022

By
Antija M. Allen
Edited by
Antija M. Allen  and
Justin T. Stewart
Antija M. Allen
Affiliation:
Pellissippi State Community College, Teachers College Columbia University
Justin T. Stewart
Affiliation:
Allen Ivy Prep Consulting
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Summary

In a research study exploring whether educators of returning adult students changed their teaching approaches to meet their students’ needs, an unexpected finding emerged (Allen, 2018). Faculty reported that race had a direct impact on how they interact with their students. This was an unprompted yet vital finding in a study where more than half of the participants were people of color (nine identified as Black and one as Hispanic). This chapter adds to adult learning literature by exhibiting the perspectives of Black faculty who educate returning adult students. It further explores how and why some Black faculty at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) individualize their teaching approaches (delivery, communication style, and content) based on the race/ethnicity of their students. It ends with suggested faculty: diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and retention strategies for leaders and decision makers in higher education.

Keywords

adult educationblack facultyfaculty retentioninclusionteaching practices
Type
Chapter
Information
We're Not OK
Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies
 , pp. 94 - 110
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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