Exploring Agricultural Faculty Perspectives on Culturally Responsive Pedagogy at 1862 and 1890 Land Grant Universities

Abstract

Historically, the Land Grant University (LGU) system has struggled to engage and support Black agricultural students due to discriminatory practices and inequitable resource allocation between 1862 and 1890 institutions. Despite the success of 1890 LGUs in graduating Black students, limited research explores the specific teaching styles agricultural faculty use to support this demographic. This qualitative study explored how faculty at 1862 and 1890 LGUs define and implement Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP). Using semi-structured interviews with 11 faculty members and reflexive thematic analysis, the study examined faculty motivations and the institutional affordances or constraints they face to implement CRP. Findings indicate that faculty define CRP through cultural competence and student-centeredness, emphasizing trust-building and leveraging students’ lived experiences to combat traditional Westernized instruction. Most participants described a "switch moment"—a specific event or realization regarding social inequities—that motivated their transition to CRP practitioners. Results also highlighted systemic disparities: 1862 faculty reported greater access to formal CRP professional development but lacked departmental community, whereas 1890 faculty faced severe facility and financial constraints despite strong sociocultural support systems. Implications suggest that enhancing Black student success requires cross-institutional collaboration, where 1862 can faculty learn community-building strategies from 1890 LGUs, and 1890 institutions receive equitable resource allocation and formal training opportunities. Our findings also indicate that increasing Black faculty representation is essential to sustain and expand CRP practices across the LGU system.