"I'm Really Sick of This Idea": White Preservice Teachers and Culturally Responsive Praxis

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Aligning Institutional Commitments to Diversity With Educational Experiences

Abstract

Goals listed on a large public university’s school of education website include transforming curriculum to expose students to aspects of diversity and equity, and encouraging collaborative research that addresses the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. In this study, I interviewed seven White preservice teachers in this school of education to understand if their perception of the importance of culturally responsive praxis aligned with objectives listed on the university’s school of education website. Results show goals of instilling the importance of culturally responsive teaching set by teacher educators were unsubstantiated by the preservice teachers in this study. All participants felt being culturally responsive was important, but a majority (n=6) deemed it unnecessary to consider when planning future praxis.

Author

• Jacob Bennett, University of Virginia