Exploring Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Understanding and Application of Culturally Responsive Teaching (Poster 7)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 11:40 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 5 Poster Session: Teacher and Teacher Educator Learning

Abstract

This study explores how culturally unexposed pre-service teachers understand and apply culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices for students with immigrant backgrounds. Forty-six Korean pre-service teachers participated in CRT-related learning and discussions in a social studies teaching method course, culminating in lesson planning and instruction as their final assignment. Their lesson plans, materials, and reflection papers were analyzed. Findings reveal that while the pre-service teachers addressed immigrant students' language and communication needs, integrated students’ cultural knowledge into the curriculum, and selected suitable teaching strategies, they lacked critical reflection on unjust and deficit-based perspectives. This study reflects on what supported and inhibited preservice teachers in planning and enacting CRT, offering recommendations for fostering their growth as culturally responsive and justice-oriented educators.

Author

• Sunun Park, Cheongju National University of Education