Navigating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Teacher Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Beyond the Tools: Equity, Tech, and Global Teacher Learning

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how faculty members in a teacher preparation program conceptualize and implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). Through semi-structured interviews with faculty members teaching foundational education courses, the research examines how personal values, institutional dynamics, and pedagogical commitments shape engagement with DEI and CSP. Findings reveal three dominant conceptualizations of DEI: intellectual diversity, social justice, and cultural validation, which influence how CSP is enacted in the classroom. Participants also describe the emotional labor, institutional barriers, and moments of student transformation they encounter in their work. The study contributes to ongoing conversations about equity-focused teacher education and imagines justice-centered futures in the preparation of educators.

Author

• Samira Said Al Hosni, Indiana University