Mary Duffy

EDF 4603

Dr. Hopp

4 August 2017

Cultural Barriers

For my cultural barriers assignment, I decided to take a look at the Hispanic

culture, and how it influences child behavior in the classroom. I am not Hispanic, and am

originally from New Jersey, so I have very limited exposure to the Hispanic culture. As

central Florida has a very rich and diverse culture, especially in the classroom, I felt that

it would me most beneficial for me to take this opportunity to try to learn a bit more

about the Hispanic culture with this project.

The Hispanic culture is one which encompasses MANY different individual

cultures within it, and as such, has a very wide range of cultural barriers. Long before

English immigrants came to North America, the Spanish had explored, settled, and

claimed lands such as California and Florida. The United States later annexed lands

claimed by Mexico that are present-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and

California. Florida has become a rich melting pot of several different Hispanic cultures,

each of them unique in their own way. Over 36% of Hispanics living in the United States

are under 18. And while children are able to adapt to changes much more easily than

adults, Hispanic children face a unique set of challenges, in that their cultural norms may

not be perceived correctly in the classroom. As a future educator, I not only hope to

further educate myself, but also the students of my classes to the fact that each culture is
unique and communicates differently, and we should both celebrate and embrace the

culture of everyone.

One behavior that is common among Hispanic students is that a student will not

openly show what they know for fear of embarrassing those that do not, because it is

considered bad manners. This could cause a conflict in the classroom because the teacher

could be unable to determine what the student knows, or unable to assess learning. One

strategy to combat this barrier would be for the teacher to familiarize himself/herself with

cooperative learning techniques, where small groups work together on a common task.

Another common barrier could be that a student frequently stands too close to or

touches other students he or she is speaking to; other students may not understand the

nonverbal communication and could be uncomfortable. A strategy to overcome this

barrier would be to make an effort to educate students about the different cultures in the

classroom, to ensure that they understand that everyone communicates in different ways,

and this is okay.

Another similar barrier would be that Hispanic students may be reluctant to

participate in a large group setting, for fear of being called on individually. As a result,

the teacher may perceive the student as disinterested or shy, or believe that he or she does

not understand the material. A solution to overcoming this barrier would be for the

teacher to ask for students to give feedback collectively, so the individual student may

not feel singled out; He or She may also break the class into smaller groups, where the

student may feel more comfortable speaking.

Finally, one other main obstacle could be that, as the family is the center of the

Hispanic culture, many young students have not had much exposure to other students his
or her own age, and feel uncomfortable interacting with other students. This could lead

the teacher to perceive the student as shy, or even disinterested in the class. The teacher

should work to implement cooperative learning techniques which facilitate working

together in small groups. This will encourage the student to engage with his or her peers

in a setting he or she is more comfortable with.

 References

Hispanic & Latino American Diversity Cultural Information. (n.d.). Retrieved June 01,
2017, from http://education.byu.edu/diversity/culture/hispanicamerican.html

How the Students' Culture Affects their Behavior. (n.d.). Retrieved June 01, 2017, from
http://literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/culteffect.html

Sesin, C. (2016, June 02). Latinos Key to Florida's Growth, What's Their Economic
Picture? Retrieved June 01, 2017, from http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latinos-
key-florida-s-growth-what-s-their-economic-picture-n580776

THE LATINO COMMUNITY: THE CULTURE, VALUES AND BEHAVIORS. (2017,

April 05). Retrieved June 01, 2017, from https://psychsocialissues.com/2013/04/05/the-
latino-community-the-culture-values-and-behaviors/