The Influence of Diversity Courses on Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Among Early Childhood Educators

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Interrogating Patterns in Teaching for Social Justice

Abstract

Culturally responsive teaching has emerged as a strategy that teachers can use to meet the needs of diverse learners. This paper will examine how college - level diversity courses help teachers in their ability to engage in culturally responsive teaching practices. Early childhood teachers from a single school district in the southeastern United States completed a survey about their culturally responsive teaching practices and their teacher education. Quantitative techniques, including descriptive statistics and an ordinary least squares regression were used to analyze the survey data. As teacher educators and teacher education programs prepare future teachers to teach culturally and linguistically diverse children, it is critical that the program of study be analyzed for effectiveness.

Authors

• Cara M. Moore, The University of Tennessee

• Linda Traum, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville