EDUC 735 Journal Article Critique: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Its
Impact on Diverse Student Populations NEW VERSION UPDATE FALL YEAR
2025|2026 Liberty University
Journal Article Critique: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Its Impact on Diverse
Student Populations
Olivia Jeffery
School of Education, Liberty University
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Olivia Jeffery.
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, Culturally Responsive Teaching and Its Impact on Diverse Student Populations 2
Journal Article Critique: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Its Impact on Diverse
Student Populations
The peer-reviewed article titled “Culturally Responsive and Meaningful Music
Education: Multimodality, Meaning-making, and Communication in Diverse Learning Contexts”
was authored by Barton and Riddle. It was published in 2021. In this article, the researchers
investigate how teachers utilize a variety of communication “modes” in music classes. The
essence of using the varied modes is to ensure better connection with learners from diverse
cultural backgrounds. The author’s central focus lies on the usage of visual, gestural, and
auditory, as well as linguistic, communication modes. The essence of these modes is to make
lessons not only engaging but also accessible to every learner. According to this source, the
knowledge of various communication modes and how they work in various setups helps
instructors in crafting outstanding teaching experiences. This article critique will sum up the
main points by Barton and Riddle (2021), analyzing their research study’s methods and findings,
as well as assessing its strengths and weaknesses.
Summary
Barton and Riddle's study (2021) utilized qualitative ethnographic research to investigate
the use of several modes of communication that music teachers utilize in lessons within various
settings. They compared three different settings that involve music teaching: Carnatic music in
South India, instrumental music lessons within Australian schools, and online music lessons.
They used a socio-cultural semiotic tool for identifying the different ways communication takes
place in these settings. The aim of this study was to ascertain how these different "ensembles of
modes" are tapped in teaching music lessons, such as sound, gesture, language, and visual