A Transformative Experience of Doctoral Students' Perceptions About a Multicultural Education Course: A Qualitative Case Study

• In Event: Transformative Experiences to Build Teaching Competencies That Connects Content and Context With Culture

Abstract

The study investigated students’ perspectives for the need of creating a multicultural education (MTE) course at the doctoral level at a mid-sized public university in Southwest Florida. A qualitative case study method was applied using multiple data sources (semi-structured interviews, observations, students’ papers, online discussions, and group presentations), which provided evidence of the needs to prepare educators better to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. Although the students underwent a transformative experience as they learned the MTE contents in a sheltered space, sharing each other’s viewpoints and backgrounds, the students’ limited culturally responsive teaching skills indicated a need for further training. Thus, this study recommended that MTE content must be taught regularly and revisited to promote curricular change in education.

Authors

• Clarisse Halpern, Florida Gulf Coast University

• Hasan Aydin, Florida Gulf Coast University