Walking the Talk: Examining the Development of Preservice Teachers' Equity-Oriented Dispositions

• In Event: Building a Pedagogical Repertoire for Teacher Educators to Support Dispositions for Equity

Abstract

Objective: Though teacher dispositions maintain a central role in the schooling of all children, they are especially salient when considering the education of students from minority backgrounds. Un-interrogated dispositions can perpetuate deficit-oriented beliefs regarding student ability (Schussler, 2006; Villegas, 2007) and contribute to the over-representation of minority students in special education (Artiles, 2008; Harry, Klinger, & Cramer, 2007; Shealey & McHatton, 2011). In response, teacher educators must deliberately construct spaces and opportunities for pre-service teachers to consider their dispositions, especially as they relate to power and privilege. The purpose of this paper is to (1) examine the development of pre-service teachers’ equity-oriented dispositions within the context of an Introduction to Disability Studies (IDS) course, and (2) consider the interplay between students’ dispositions and their awareness of issues of power and privilege within educational and broader social contexts.

Theoretical framework: The framework undergirding this paper melds Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit), a theory advanced by Annamma, Connor, & Ferri (2013) with Schussler, Bercaw, and Stokesbury’s (2008) conception of cultural dispositions. While DisCrit combines tenets of Disability Studies (DS) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) in order to explore the interconnectedness of race and disability, cultural dispositions represent a teacher’s ability to meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. When used in concert, these complementary fields of study offer an opportunity for teachers to recognize their own cultural identities, as this process informs their understanding of the diverse identities of their students.

Methods: Data sources include 1-hour, semi-structured interviews with 10 pre-service teachers enrolled in an IDS course, and student assignments are used to supplement interview data. Researchers coded the data using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis. During these phases, researchers applied inductive open, axial, and selective coding procedures (Creswell, 2007; Maxwell, 2005).

Findings: Data reveal three salient themes: Walking the talk: Over time, students appeared to gain a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which language maintains an “us/them” binary between individuals from diverse backgrounds and those in the culture of power. Increased awareness of intersectionality: Data indicated that students initially conceived of their cultural identities—as well as the identities of their students—as independent rather than interdependent. By the end of the course, students seemed to be able to articulate the ways in which identity is intersectional. Influence of immersive experiences: Many students began the course with personal or service-oriented connections to minority populations. Interestingly, participants’ dispositions appeared to be affected more significantly by coursework and fieldwork than by prior experience.

Significance: This paper fills a void in current research by providing tools for attending to pre-service teachers’ dispositions and offering a novel, critical analysis of their dispositional development. DisCrit and dispositions studies offer independent means of attending to issues of diversity; when combined, they provide a robust framework for considering how teacher education programs can deliberately address pre-service teachers’ understanding of power and privilege.

Author

• Christa S. Bialka, Villanova University