Attitudes towards African American Vernacular English in African American preschool teachers

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTION1

Purpose of the Study1

Research Design1

Questionnaire Survey1

Rationale for the Research Methodology2

Sample Type2

Sample Size2

Data Collection Procedure3

Data Analysis Technique3

Cronbach's Alpha (a)3

Sampling4

Research Instrument4

Cultural Mistrust Inventory5

African American English Teachers Attitude Scale6

Data Analysis Plan6

Preliminary Analysis7

Expected Results9

Ethical Considerations9

Conclusion10

REFERENCES11

CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCTION

Purpose of the Study

The goal of the study is to complete a comprehensive assessment of the attitudes of African American preschool teachers to African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in their students developing speech. The study will analyze the levels of cultural mistrust within African American teachers, and establish if there is a relationship between cultural mistrust with factors such as age, region, education and training that subsequently impact attitudes of African American teachers towards the vernacular.

The proposed research study will help in developing a deeper understanding of African American Vernacular English in students, and teachers' attitudes towards the dialect in the classroom. By analyzing the factors contributing to teachers' attitudes towards AAVE, the research will help in devising ways that could narrow down the academic achievement gap and enhance the awareness of strengths and limitation associated with AAVE speaking students. The study will also aid in understanding the factors that affect teachers' perception about education, culture, and students. Culture highly affects teaching styles and significantly plays important roles in the ways students respond to their teachers, and subsequently perform in the classroom.

Research Design

Questionnaire Survey

Research collected primary data through the questionnaire duly filled in by the sample teachers who were briefly informed about the research by the researcher before they were given the questionnaire to be filled. The questionnaire was mainly targeted to the teachers who provide the most detailed information about AAVE. The data collected was recorded on paper from the information provided by the teachers which was solely for the purpose of the research only. All the respondents' agreements were taken before using the provided data for research.

Rationale for the Research Methodology

The author decided against using qualitative research since researcher wants statistical truth and not just assumptions based on situations observed from the society. The prominent approach in quantitative methodology is explaining and describing factors of the objective study that is done by collecting primary data on the sample's observable and evident behavior and by subjecting this information to statistical analysis. According to Creswell (2005), “neutral, scientific language” should be used in prosecuting actual facts in the quantitative research. This states that the study should be expressed by using universally acceptable digits and numbers. In suing this research approach and in order to make generalisability, objectivity in this research is stressed by the use of neutral-scientific language.

Sample Type

The research has adopted non-random purposive sampling type. In this type, the researcher selects the sample according to the purpose and objectives of the study.

Sample Size

The proposed research study involves two multiple regression analyses, and a mediation analysis. The multiple regression analysis with six predictors requires the most stringent sample size. A power analysis was conducted using G*Power 3.1.2 for multiple regression with six ...