Exploring Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Faculty Members’ Experiences with Culturally Sustaining Teaching Practices

Abstract

We investigated nine faculty members’ lived experiences with graduate courses at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) using a phenomenological research design under the guidance of a framework for culturally sustaining pedagogy. In this phenomenological study, we analyzed interview transcripts focused on faculty members’ lived experiences with culturally sustaining teaching practices in graduate-level courses. The phenomenological data analysis revealed the following themes: introspection and reflection, collaboration, feedback, evaluation, and assessment. One noteworthy finding was that most faculty members did not intentionally foster students’ critical consciousness. We structure findings around three effective graduate teaching practices: (1) designing an effective learning environment, (2) structuring intentional learning experiences, and (3) assessing teaching effectiveness. We also provide implications for HSI faculty developers.