Addressing Cultural Responsiveness in Consultation: An Empirical Demonstration

This study explored whether and to what extent consultation practices specifically focused on culturally responsive instruction provided additive benefit, after establishing strong classroom management. Three teachers leading culturally diverse classrooms participated in two phases of consultation. The first was a traditional, classroom-management focused phase. After decreases in disruptions stabilized, the consultant introduced a culturally responsive phase of consultation. Data are analyzed via a multiple-baseline-across-participants design depicting rates of classroom disruptions, labeled praise, and opportunities to respond (OTR). The greatest decrease in the number of classroom disruptions occurred during the traditional, classroom-management consultation phase. However, unexpected improvements were noted in teachers’ use of effective management procedures during the cultural responsiveness phase. Thus, teachers’ management practices benefited from applying culturally responsive instruction and interventions, beyond what was observed when consultation focused on management alone. Implications for research and consultation practice are discussed.