Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Immigrants and Immigration Through the Use of Multicultural Novels

• In Event: Latina/Chicana Scholars Speak to Literacy Teaching and Learning for and Within Diverse Community Contexts

Abstract

Purpose of Study
For this research study, pre-service teachers engaged in reading multicultural young adult novels. As a part of their reading and discussion, pre-service developed multimodal projects that linked current and socio-historical events to the novels that they read with topics such as refugees and immigration. The goal of using the novels was to help pre-service teachers become more critically aware of the experiences of immigrants and to help them consider their own beliefs. In addition to the multimodal projects, pre-service teachers engaged in literature discussions, reflections, and interviews.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework

This study is situated within Sociocultural (Vygotsky,1986) and critical theories (Freire, 1970) and seeks to understand how multicultural literature discussions can help promote cultural awareness among pre-service teachers.

Methods and Data
Constant comparative methods (Glaser & Strauss,1967) were used to analyze the data set which included surveys, discussion reflections, and individual and group Interviews. After the final discussion, focal students were interviewed again. The data collected during the study includes semi-structured interviews; students reflective journal; surveys; group interview; classroom artifacts. The use of these particular methods to collect data were chosen in order to gain in-depth understanding of the pre-service teachers’ understanding of culture and diversity in relation to schooling as well as their understanding about the use of literature to help shape their future students’ understandings around culture.

Findings
The data indicate that students saw the multicultural literature that they read as an entry point to learn about social topics. Pre-service teachers reflected on how the texts helped them to understand the perspectives of families who have to leave their homes for a variety of reasons. Pre-service teachers noted that the texts also helped them to understand the difficulties that the characters in the books experienced in a way that history books or their own schooling had failed to do. Students also began to grapple with issues of inequity as they had discussions around the texts.

Significance
This study addresses a very critical issue in education in that it explores how multicultural literature can be used to support pre-service teachers in developing greater awareness of the experiences of immigrants. Research has shown that cultural incongruence in the classroom continues to marginalize students. Therefore, this work is significant as it supports pre-service teachers with being equipped to not only understand their own beliefs, but to also develop their cultural awareness about other groups.

Author

• Sanjuana Carrillo Rodriguez, Kennesaw State University