Deck 6: Culture and Diversity

Question 1

Which of the following children of poverty is most likely to perform well in school?

A)Amy's teacher understands that she is embarrassed about being poor.He seldom calls on her during class,but provides scaffolding if Amy asks for help.
B)Jeb's teacher calls on him frequently and expresses high expectations of his academic performance.
C)Natalie's teacher knows how difficult it is for Natalie to do school work at home,and he accepts incomplete homework from Natalie.
D)Ding's teacher allows him to sleep during class,knowing that he helps his younger siblings at home and stays up late most nights.

Answer 1

Jeb's teacher calls on him frequently and expresses high expectations of his academic performance.

Question 2

Dana is nervous about the upcoming physics exam.She is the only girl in the class and has achieved higher scores on the assignments than most of the boys in class.She knows the boys think they're smarter and better at applying principles of physics.In this situation,Dana's nervousness is an example of:

A)negative schema.
B)resistance to feminism.
C)stereotype threat.
D)general test anxiety

Answer 2

stereotype threat.

Question 3

Ms.Dominguez is the principal in a secondary school in an impoverished community.All students in her school come from low-income or poverty level families.What advice should Ms.Dominguez give her teachers to improve the effectiveness of teaching these students?

A)She should advise teachers to set low expectations and help students achieve success below their grade level.
B)She should advise teachers to show understanding of students' home lives,avoid giving homework,and excuse incomplete work.
C)She should advise teachers to avoid correcting student work and focus on life skills such as interpersonal relationships.
D)She should advise teachers to set high expectations and maintain high standards.

Answer 3

She should advise teachers to set high expectations and maintain high standards.

Question 4

Chet,the seven-year-old son of Thai parents,is growing up in a Thai community in a large metro area.His family is poor and most of his friends come from poor families.Based on statistics,why is Chet less likely than children from wealthier families to succeed academically?

A)He is less likely to succeed academically because he,more than children from wealthier families,is likely to lose ground academically during the summers.
B)He is less likely to succeed academically because academic expectations are low despite high quality schools and resources in poor communities.
C)He is less likely to succeed academically because teachers in metro area schools are typically underqualified and underprepared to help children overcome the setbacks associated with poverty.
D)He is less likely to succeed academically because his family,unlike wealthier families,is likely to encourage him to become a part of the resistance culture in the community.

Question 5

Mr.Thibodaux teaches in a large middle school with students from all socioeconomic levels and a wide range of racial and ethnic diversity.He is examining the standardized test scores of his students in an effort to determine their areas of strength and weakness.If his students represent national averages,where will he find the greatest gaps in academic achievement?

A)The gaps between scores of wealthy and poor students
B)The gaps between scores of White and African American students
C)The gaps between scores of White and Hispanic students
D)The gaps between scores of White and Asian American students

Question 6

Mr.Chavez teaches high school science.During the first week of school,he describes the diversity among his students.Which description is stereotypical?

A)An Asian American girl who is probably a model student
B)A Mexican American boy who says he wants to play professional baseball like his uncle
C)A Native American girl who achieved low scores in science last year
D)A tall African American boy who is competing for the position of starting wide receiver on the football team

Question 7

Mrs.Kahn's science text includes numerous references to male scientists and their contributions to scientific knowledge,but very few female scientists.For each unit of study in her curriculum,Mrs.Kahn researches and identifies female scientists to highlight in her teaching.This illustration about Mrs.Kahn's text most directly demonstrates:

A)gender bias.
B)female dominance in the field of teaching.
C)gender schema theory.
D)gender orientation.

Question 8

Ayo's parents are from Nigeria,but emigrated to the U.S.before Ayo was born.Ayo's dad is a medical doctor in a Houston suburb,and his mom has an art gallery in the city.Ayo attends an elite private high school and is one of the top players on his school's basketball team.Based on this information,what is the best description of Ayo's cultural ties?

A)Culturally,Ayo is Nigerian.
B)Ayo's cultural ties are African American.
C)Culturally,Ayo's influences are American and Nigerian.
D)Ayo's cultural ties are Nigerian,American,upper class,and basketball.

Question 9

Juanita is from a low-SES family.Her friends are also from low-SES families,though most of their peers are from middle class families.Jerita has decided that school is a dead end and does not want to succeed academically.Her Spanish teacher believes Juanita could make high grades in Spanish and some of her other classes.The teacher encourages Juanita to turn in homework and raise her grades,but Juanita does not want to sell out and act like the middle class kids.She seems to have become part of:

A)a rebel gang.
B)a resistance culture.
C)a self-imposed poverty culture.
D)a school-imposed exclusion.

Question 10

Ms.McDonald is a White non-Hispanic high school English teacher.She assigns lower grades to the African American athletes in her class than she assigns for comparable work submitted by White students.Whether her behavior is intentional or unintentional,what is the most likely interpretation of Ms.McDonald's behavior?

A)Her behavior shows her acceptance of African Americans in general,but her negative attitude toward athletes.
B)Her behavior exhibits her prejudice against African Americans and/or against athletes.
C)Her behavior illustrates the lack of conventional grading methods in diverse classrooms.
D)Her behavior demonstrates her resistance to legislation requiring desegregation.

Question 11

KT is a sixteen-year-old girl who describes herself as someone who loves sports,sees herself as less feminine than the other girls,and hangs out with the jocks at school.This self-description is directly associated with her:

A)sexual orientation.
B)sexual identity.
C)gender identity.
D)sex.

Question 12

What was the outcome of the famous 1954 case of Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka?

A)Segregated seating on public transportation was ruled illegal.
B)Segregated rest rooms for Black people in public establishments were ruled illegal.
C)Segregation in neighborhood housing was ruled illegal.
D)Segregated schooling for Black children was ruled illegal.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of the invisible influence of culture?

A)Darius is an African American boy who often wears a tee shirt bearing the name of his favorite baseball star.
B)Mika is a Native American girl who shows respect by avoiding eye contact with her teacher.
C)Cate is an Irish American girl who styles her hair like the lead singer of her favorite musical group.
D)Stefano is a Mexican American boy whose favorite holiday celebration is Cinco de Mayo.

Question 14

A group of people constructs a program for living and communicates the program,its values,norms,traditions,self-definitions,and rules to its members.This program for living is the group's:

A)social foundation.
B)value system.
C)ethnic identity.
D)culture.

Question 15

A societal designation of upper,middle,working,or lower class based on income,power,background,and prestige is called:

A)social identity.
B)comprehensive social classification.
C)socioeconomic status.
D)cultural classification.

Question 16

Mr.Gloster teaches high school and observes the long-term effects of stereotype threat with various groups of students in his classes.He wants to prevent their disidentification with academics and help them overcome this threat.Which of the following actions on his part is most likely to help him reach his goal?

A)Help students recognize that intelligence is inherited and encourage them to accept their level of ability without anxiety about stereotypes.
B)Help students feel a sense of belonging by lowering the expectations for individuals who exhibit signs of stereotype threat.
C)Help students avoid academic challenge and develop a positive mindset about their connections at school.
D)Help students see academic achievement as part of their ethnic,racial,and gender identity by introducing role models.

Question 17

Discrimination is one of the elements of prejudice.Discrimination is the element of prejudice that deals with a person's:

A)behaviors and actions toward others.
B)beliefs about others.
C)attitudes and feelings about others.
D)impressions of others as outsiders.

Question 18

It is the second day of school.Which of the following teachers appears to stereotype Hispanic students in his or her class?

A)Mrs.Ringwald instructs Renata to complete the first half of the problem set before going to her special education class.
B)Ms.Sims tells Gorge to surprise her and complete the problems in the problem set without giving up.
C)Ms.Caruthers asks Eduardo to work with his partner to complete the problem set before the bell rings.
D)Mr.Montero tells Camilla to stop talking until she finishes the problem set and copies the homework assignment.

Question 19

Approximately what percentage of children in the United States lives in low-income or poor families?

A)20%
B)25%
C)33%
D)45%.

Question 20

Which of the following terms relates to shared cultural characteristics such as common history,religion,traditions,and language?

A)Race
B)Minority group
C)Socioeconomic status
D)Ethnicity

Question 21

Mrs.Evans is a new teacher in a diverse community.The students in her classroom come from a broad range of racial and ethnic groups.About one-fourth of her students are immigrants from other countries.Altogether they represent many cultural backgrounds.Her principal advises Mrs.Evans to use culturally relevant pedagogy.Mrs.Evans is not sure what the principal means,but she wants to learn.She comes to you for help.First,explain culturally relevant pedagogy.
Then describe specific actions Mrs.Evans should take to apply guidelines for culturally relevant pedagogy.

Question 22

Mrs.O'Connor wants to use groups in her diverse fourth grade classroom.What should she do if she wants to follow the guidelines for culturally relevant teaching?

A)Allow students to self-select their groups for each task
B)Organize heterogeneous groups of four or five students
C)Assign students to homogeneous groups on the basis of race/ethnicity
D)Avoid using small groups to protect students against biases

Question 23

Which of the following teachers uses language that perpetuates gender bias?

A)Mr.Kotts invites two firefighters to discuss fire danger.
B)Ms.Arensen opens the floor for nominations for a committee chair.
C)Mr.Goodeau talks to his students about the role of mail carriers.
D)Mrs.Woodson asks her students if any of them know a policeman.

Question 24

Consider the following students in Mr.Hembre's fifth grade class:
LaNell is an average student who struggles with math concepts and needs help to improve her reading skills and basic study skills.
Tanner is a good student,a high achiever in math and slightly above average in language arts and science.
Stephanie is a very bright,high-achieving student who excels in every subject,and often helps her peers.
Based on statistical findings,which of these students is most likely to receive the least amount of attention from the teacher?
Which one is most likely to receive the most attention from the teacher?
Explain what teachers can do to prevent this type of bias in the classroom.

Question 25

Which teacher is appropriately applying current advice regarding learning styles research and teaching?

A)Mr.Newell is sensitive to differences in learning preferences and provides alternative paths to learning.
B)Ms.Cardova consistently uses one teaching strategy and encourages students to adapt accordingly.
C)Ms.Studdard has several African American students in her class and focuses primarily on auditory presentation of information to help these students learn.
D)Mr.Delgado uses a highly structured approach in teaching because he believes it prepares students for the workplace.

Question 26

Beth Doll and her colleagues developed suggestions for creating resilient classrooms.Which of the following characterizes a resilient classroom?

A)Teachers minimize rules and maximize support for students.
B)Teachers reduce expectations for minority students to help them advance to the next grade level.
C)Teachers help students develop self-regulation skills and practice behavioral self-control.
D)Students establish the classroom rules and procedures and determine the standards.

Question 27

Which of the following teachers is most likely to struggle and fail to meet challenges of teaching in a multicultural classroom?

A)A teacher who gives significantly more positive feedback to struggling students than to privileged students
B)A teacher who places strong emphasis on academics and has high expectations combined with caring support
C)A teacher who provides context for skill learning and establishes clear reasons for needing to learn the skills
D)A teacher who balances routine skill learning with novel and complex tasks at all stages of learning

Question 28

Which of the following children is most likely to struggle with participation structures,rules,and procedural norms in typical school situations?

A)An African American girl who lives in a middle-class neighborhood
B)A White American boy from a lower middle-class family
C)A Latino boy who lives with extended family in an upper middle-class community
D)A Navajo Indian boy who lives on a reservation

Question 29

The greatest gaps in academic achievement in the United States are between students from low-income families and students of wealthier families.In the first part of this essay question,describe at least three factors that may explain the lower achievement of many low-SES students in schools.In the second part of this essay question,explain what teachers can do to help children from low-SES families succeed and narrow the gap.

Question 30

Jimarcus is an African American high school junior.He likes his environmental science course,but is one of only two African American students in the class.He makes good grades on homework and in-class activities,but seldom volunteers answers.Mr.Cooke,his teacher,notices that Jimarcus uses spare time to read about environmental issues,and Jimarcus told Mr.Cooke about conducting his own small projects out of class.Mr.Cooke concludes that Jimarcus has a passion for this area of study,though African American students seldom take the class or succeed in science classes at this high school.Today the class takes the mid-term exam,and Mr.Cooke notices that Jimarcus acts anxious.He asks Jimarcus if he's ready,and Jimarcus says he's not sure.During the exam,Jimarcus continues to act nervous.He is the last student to turn in his paper.
How would you explain Jimarcus's behavior?
What might the teacher do to help him overcome this behavior?

Question 31

Which of the following teaching practices is LEAST effective in teaching students of color?

A)Make sure students develop academic skills despite inequities and hostile classroom environments.
B)Make sure students retain their cultural competence by using culture as a vehicle for learning.
C)Make sure students develop a broad sociopolitical consciousness that allows them to critique the status quo.
D)Make sure students avoid the use of culturally specific language,skills,knowledge,and traditions in classroom learning applications.