"I'm Comfortable With All Families, But ...": Preservice Teachers' Preparedness to Serve Different Family Compositions

• In Event: 66.057 - Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 66.057-17 - Preparing Preservice Teachers for Working With Diverse Parents and Students

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated preservice teachers’ preparedness to work with different family compositions. Twenty-five elementary education majors participated in photo-elicitation interviews involving photographs of different family structures and compositions. Participants described their feelings toward each photograph and then ranked the family photographs in order of most prepared and least prepared to serve. Findings suggest that preservice teachers are most confident in working with family types that mirror what they experienced in their home or community. Conversely, preservice teachers are less confident in serving nontraditional family structures due to their lack of familiarity with the needs of these families. All students described a positive disposition toward working with diverse families, yet still employed deficit-based language about nontraditional families.

Author

• Kyle Elizabeth Miller, Illinois State University