Building Culturally Responsive Literacy Through Contextualized Instruction

Literacy in culturally diverse classrooms is essential in enhancing students’ comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement in Social Science education. This study examined the relationship between teachers’ cultural awareness, culturally responsive teaching practices, and teacher self-efficacy in delivering literacy instruction. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was utilized involving forty-eight (48) Social Science teachers. Data were gathered using standardized survey questionnaires and analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation.Results revealed that teachers demonstrated a high level of cultural awareness and frequently practiced culturally responsive teaching strategies. Findings further showed a significant positive relationship between cultural awareness and teacher self-efficacy, as well as between culturally responsive teaching practices and instructional effectiveness. These results indicate that teachers who possess higher cultural awareness and consistently apply culturally responsive strategies tend to exhibit greater confidence in delivering effective literacy instruction.The study concludes that strengthening teachers’ cultural competence contributes to improved literacy instruction in culturally diverse classrooms. It recommends sustained professional development programs focused on culturally responsive pedagogy to further enhance teacher effectiveness and student engagement in Social Science learning contexts.