Beyond individual endeavour: embracing student diversity as collaborative practice

Abstract

This study examines the ways in which teacher collaboration supports culturally responsive teaching within the South Korean educational context. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative and qualitative data collected from South Korean school teachers. The findings highlight collaboration as a key intra-organizational mechanism, enabling teachers to collectively navigate the complexities associated with culturally responsive teaching. Collaboration fosters a shared understanding of effective instructional practices and facilitates adaptive teaching strategies by offering essential social resources for navigating pedagogical uncertainty. The study argues that culturally responsive teaching should be understood not merely as an individual endeavour aimed at addressing student differences, but also as a collaborative effort that often seeks to transcend these differences in order to thoughtfully embrace classroom diversity. Future research should further explore collaborative approaches to culturally responsive teaching in varied educational contexts internationally.