Elementary teacher candidates' degree of cultural competency and beliefs regarding special education referrals: Uncovering factors related to disproportionality

This mixed method study critically examined the undergraduate preparation received by preservice general education elementary majors specifically related to how and why to refer students for special education testing. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups were utilized. The survey contained two sections, one quantitative and one qualitative. The quantitative portion of the survey was the Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale (MTCS) used with the authors' permission. The MTCS scored participants on two factors, "Knowledge" and "Skill." A statistically significant difference was found for University B among the three sites from the online survey responses collected for Factor 2 of the MTCS, "Knowledge." The researcher acknowledged the statistically significance, but viewed it with care because of the qualitative information mined in the study. The complementary qualitative portion was designed to shed greater light on the rationale behind special education referrals. In addition, the researcher thoroughly reviewed course syllabi and texts. While there was pertinent information present in two of the three texts, the corresponding course syllabi did not require students to read the information in the texts addressing referral reasons or issues related to disproportionality. The researcher found that teacher candidates gave varied responses for referral reasons in survey responses and in focus group or interview sessions. Data and information collected and analyzed were inconclusive regarding whether or not more culturally knowledgeable or skilled teachers were less likely to refer students for special education testing.;The results of this study should only be generalized cautiously. The researcher details several areas for future research based upon areas considered in this study.;Keywords: Teacher education, culturally relevant pedagogy, disproportionality.