Date of Award
2002
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' perceptions of cultural competence during the student teaching experience as the result of participating in a diversity and poverty simulation. The results of this study were consistent with present research on developing cultural competencies and the use of simulations in teacher preparation programs. This qualitative research utilized data gathered through interviews with preservice teachers from a private university, citations from expert sources, and insights from the researcher's twenty-five years of teaching experience. The voices of the preservice teachers in this study evidenced increased cultural awareness as a result of their participation in the experience. Based on survey and interview, the preservice teachers had increased awareness of people of diversity and poverty, and developed a personal awareness giving them greater clarity about the differential treatment people of other social groups receive. The research further found that while preservice teachers had increased awareness of the lives of those who are minority and of low socioeconomic status, they did not operationalize that awareness into the classroom in changed strategies for teaching students of diverse population and poverty. As an initial study in the area of simulations and assessing cultural competence, this study revealed that preservice teachers are firmly rooted in prior cultural beliefs that in turn strongly influence decision-making and classroom interactions.
Recommended Citation
Ross, N. Diana, "Preservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Cultural Competency" (2002). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1040.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1040