| The first purpose of this study was to examine teacher preparation and ascertain if a relationship exists in multicultural knowledge between those teachers who have taken one course in multicultural education compared to those who have taken two or more courses and the effect, if any, on their instructional practices. Specifically, the question was: Do teachers who have taken more courses in multicultural education include the concepts inherent in multicultural understanding more frequently than those teachers who have taken only one course?;The second purpose was to examine if teachers who have taken multicultural education courses are putting it into practice according to Banks' (1994) typology. Advocates of multicultural education address the fundamental question of how best to provide educational equity for all students. What this means is that educators within the public school systems should have the resources and training to teach all children fairly, regardless of the students' race, ethnicity, social class or economic status. Sleeter (2001) indicated a need for more research that focused on whether educators are putting into practice multicultural concepts.;The target population was novice teachers (those teachers with one, two or three years teaching experience) teaching grades one through twelve in rural, urban and suburban school districts in Michigan. |
