Diversity and Discipline in the Classroom: Perceptions of Prospective Teachers

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: Student Learning Across Contexts and Content Areas

Abstract

This qualitative study adopts Critical Whiteness Theory to analyze prospective teachers’ perceptions of student diversity and classroom discipline in a predominantly white teacher education methods course. Through thematic analysis, we find that: (1) Prospective teachers have a simplistic understanding of diversity and a deficit view of diverse learners; (2) They confirm their mentor teachers’ disciplinary actions without confronting them; and (3) They problematize the behaviors of students with diverse backgrounds while normalizing (or romanticizing) similar behavior by white students. This study provides data-grounded implications for teacher educators to design opportunities to engage prospective teachers in critical discussion on diversity and how it operates in classroom disciplinary action.

Authors

• Katrina Liu, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Sandra Candel, University of Nevada - Las Vegas