Formation and transformation of teachers' ethnic identifications and attitudes toward language diversity: A recursive path analysis

The main purpose of this study was to investigate which variables relate most significantly to in-service teachers' ethnic identifications and attitudes toward language diversity. Social contextual, institutional, and personal aspects---specifically informal multicultural experiences, formal multicultural education, and demographic and professional background---were examined. The study had four goals: (1) to examine the effects of exogenous variables (i.e., informal multicultural experiences and personal background) on formal multicultural education; (2) to probe the effects of formal and informal multicultural experiences and personal background on teachers' ethnic identifications; (3) to scrutinize the effects of ethnic identification, formal and informal multicultural experiences, and personal background on teachers' attitudes toward language diversity; (4) to investigate more deeply the effects of informal multicultural experiences on teachers' ethnic identifications and attitudes toward language diversity. Questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of 370 in-service elementary teachers in North Carolina. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and recursive path analysis.;The results revealed that informal multicultural experiences were one of the most important factors in predicting both ethnic identification and attitude toward language diversity. Even though informal multicultural experiences were most important in the formation and transformation of ethnic identification and attitude, pre-service multicultural education did have a significant effect on language attitude. Teachers had established ethnic identifications and attitudes toward diversity based on informal multicultural experiences and personal background, but their attitudes could be changed through formal multicultural education.;The study also found that proficiency level in a foreign language was important in predicting teachers' attitudes toward language diversity. The process of learning a language consists not only of learning language skills but also of learning culture through language. Thus, foreign language education is an important factor in understanding diverse populations.;Implications for practice and for research were discussed. These findings will be useful for classroom teachers, teacher educators, multicultural curriculum developers, school administrators, policy makers, and institutions.