| The student population of the United States is becoming more culturally diverse as the teacher population is progressively becoming monocultural. Traditional teaching methods have been sufficient in educating some cultural minority students, but not all cultural minority student populations. The literature provides an overview of teachers' attitudes and perceptions relating to multicultural education, diverse student populations, and culturally responsive teaching. Though some studies address the components that potentially lead teachers to become culturally responsive, there is a need to examine the components that teachers themselves view as the specific teaching components and strategies that led them to become culturally responsive. This qualitative study examined the components of multicultural and diversity education courses that may initiate transformative learning leading to culturally responsive teaching. The seven study participants were in-service, high school educators of European descent, who had participated in courses focusing on multicultural and/or diversity education. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions. Transformative learning theory was the framework for data analysis. The data analysis revealed that experiences in a multicultural or diversity education course may facilitate transformation learning; and the components that may potentially prompt transformative learning leading to culturally responsive teaching are (a) the introduction of a disorienting dilemma, (b) the incorporation of critical reflection, and (c) the use of reflective discourse. Results of this study may help teacher educators and professional/staff development designers determine the optimal approaches to use when multicultural education and diversity education are the subject matter. |
