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Mission possible? An analysis of the intended and implemented diversity content of a teacher education institution

Posted on:2010-05-18Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:Emory UniversityCandidate:Stenhouse, Vera LFull Text:PDF
GTID:1447390002484948Subject:Education
Abstract/Summary:
Current research in teacher education focuses on a single unit of analysis rather than an investigation of a whole teacher education institution. Additionally, although a substantial body of literature focuses on teacher education in urban settings, less attention has been directed towards the teacher educators in these locations. Lastly, a disconnect exists between diversity courses offered in a teacher education program and the accompanying coursework in other courses within the same program. This study addressed these limitations by examining an urban southeastern United States teacher education institution and its teacher educators. Teacher educators' understanding of and the manner by which they implemented diversity and multicultural education concepts across a program of study was investigated. The institutional context in which teacher educators work was also examined. Guided by Zeichner, Grant, Gay, Gillette, Valli, and Villegas'(1998) design principles for multicultural teacher education, this case study used interviews, focus groups, observations, and institutional documents to address the following research questions: (1) What were the backgrounds, philosophies of education, training, and experiences of teacher educators in a program whose mission explicitly defines diversity as a component of teacher preparation? (2) What was the relationship between teacher educator training, backgrounds, and experiences and the ways they defined and implemented concepts, theories, and frameworks regarding diversity and multicultural education? (3) What individual or institutional factors advanced, limited, or prevented discourse and practices regarding diversity in a teacher education program? Findings revealed that teacher educators possessed unique narratives yielding common themes regarding their backgrounds, philosophies of education, training, and experiences regarding diversity. Teacher educators' diversity discourse mirrored their narratives by centering primarily on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, less so gender, language, and ability. Collectively teacher educators' pedagogies reflected their definitions of diversity and multicultural education terminology; however, their individual implementation varied in form, content, and consistency. Furthermore, factors influencing discourse and practices were individual, structural, and institutional. Finally, findings substantiated the institution's viability as a multicultural teacher preparation institution; however, findings suggest a need for more intricate examinations of what constitutes an institution's permeation of critical attention and observed implementation of diversity and multicultural education tenets.
Keywords/Search Tags:Education, Teacher, Diversity, Institution, Implemented
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