Promoting the Use of Culturally Responsive Practices and Classroom Behavior Management: The Role of Key Opinion Leaders

Introduction: Racial disparities in punitive school discipline practices are increasingly drawing attention among educators, policy makers, and the media. However, there is limited research on culturally responsive practices to reduce the discipline gap, and even less is known about effective strategies for promoting the uptake and high-fidelity implementation of these interventions within schools.  Diffusion of knowledge research highlights the local and natural role teachers may play as key opinion leaders (KOL) in the dissemination and implementation of school-based interventions (Atkins et al., 2008).  Drawing on this literature, the present study sought to examine whether cultural proficiency and classroom behavior management KOL scores were predicted by particular characteristics (e.g., teacher demographics and self-reported cultural responsiveness, teaching efficacy, stress, and burnout). 

Method: Teachers (N = 469) in 17 elementary and middle schools participated in a social network analysis study, in which  they nominated other teachers they seek out for advice about various topics, including classroom management and working with students of color (i.e., cultural proficiency). Nominations were used to generate in-degree centrality scores for each teacher, reflecting the number of times they were nominated by other teachers as a source of advice about a given topic. Then we examined associations between self-reports and demographic characteristics with their in-degree centrality scores, such that higher scores suggested a greater KOL role in the school. 

Results:  Significant predictors of peer nominations for being a cultural proficiency KOL included self-reported cultural proficiency (standardized coefficient β = .011, p < .001), teaching efficacy (β = .02, p < .001), higher income (β = .012, p < .05), and being Black (β = .025, p < .001), whereas negative associations were identified for burnout (β = -.011, p < .01) and stress (β = -.012, p < .01).  Peer nominations for classroom management KOLs were not associated with teacher race/ethnicity, but were positively associated with teaching efficacy (β = .012, p < .001) and income (β = .014, p < .001).

Discussion: This study highlights natural tendencies of teachers to draw upon individuals in their professional networks as local resources to improve the quality and cultural sensitivity of their teaching practices. Further, the findings reveal some teacher factors associated with KOL within teachers’ social networks, with regard to working with students of color and behavior management. Further, these findings contribute to our knowledge of potential teachers to target as influential in supporting the dissemination of interventions to reduce the discipline gap in schools.