Cultivating Belonging Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Peer-Mentored Action Research Approach (Phase 2) ARSP round 11

This project extends the successful 2023–2025 Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Action Research initiative through a peer-mentored approach that directly addresses the Wellbeing dimension of the ACT Education Directorate's Student-Centred Evaluation Tool, whilst building sustainable capacity and engaging new participants. Building on Phase 1's demonstrated impact on teacher professionalism and culturally responsive practices across eight ACT primary schools, Phase 2 implements a dual-purpose model: ten new teachers will engage in the established six-workshop CRP action research cycle whilst seven experienced Phase 1 teachers serve as peer mentors, developing crucial mentoring skills for ongoing sustainability.
The project addresses the critical need for Australian teachers to respond effectively to increasing classroom diversity, with recent research indicating graduate teachers feel unprepared for culturally diverse contexts. Through collaborative participatory action research, teachers position themselves as knowledge creators, developing culturally responsive pedagogies that honour students' cultural identities and lifeworlds whilst improving classroom relationships and engagement.
Key innovations include structured peer mentoring relationships that create sustainable professional learning networks beyond project completion, rigorous pre-post measurement of student sense of belonging using validated scales, and strategic collaboration with the ACT Education Directorate through co-design processes that support system-wide integration of culturally responsive practices.
Expected outcomes include enhanced teacher confidence in culturally responsive approaches, measurable improvement in student sense of belonging, strengthened peer mentoring capabilities among experienced teachers, and established pathways for systemic adoption through Education Directorate partnership. The project's action research methodology ensures evidence-based practice development whilst the mentoring model creates sustainable support structures that directly operationalise the Round 11 priority of cultivating belonging within the Wellbeing dimension of the Student-Centred Evaluation Tool.