Exploring Teacher Candidates' Dispositions for Teaching Diverse Populations: Relationship Between Sense of Responsibility and Efficacy

• In Event: 70.046 - Teacher Identity: Examining Perceptions of Race and Cultural Identity

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to three-fold. First we aimed to implicitly identify homogeneous clusters of candidates who embody similar dispositions towards personal responsibility for teaching diverse populations in public schools. Second, we seek to explore the extent to which systematic variations in personal responsibility predict variability in their efficacy for connecting with and teaching diverse students. Finally, candidates’ were prompted to reflect on their conception of responsibility and to discuss why they might feel personally responsible for some populations over others. We identified five homogeneous clusters of candidates.

Authors

• Heather A. Davis, San Diego State University

• Hannah Carson Baggett, Auburn University