Preservice Teachers’ Experiences on Becoming Culturally Responsive Educators

An Action Research Case Study

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7160/eriesj.2023.160102

Keywords:

Action research, Case study, Culturally responsive pedagogy, Multilingual learners, Reflection, Tutoring

Abstract

Reflection on teaching and learning is considered one of the most essential elements of teacher development. With the rise of multilingual learners in U.S. public schools, the role of critical reflection has become even more prominent in teacher preparation programs to disrupt preservice teachers’ (PSTs) biases and stereotypes regarding these learners and their families. Moreover, to address the widening educational inequities and to enact more equitable teaching practices, PSTs ought to reflect on their pedagogical practices with the guidance of an educator-mentor. Therefore, this qualitative action research case study explored how one teacher preparation program implemented reflective and experiential practices in their graduate Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages coursework to assist PSTs in systematically examining their understandings of culturally responsive practices. Our research was grounded in culturally responsive teaching. Our findings revealed that our PSTs had an awareness of culturally responsive pedagogy; they recognized the importance of learning from and with their students and families but still had areas for growth when implementing culturally responsive practices, prompting us to further explore how these PSTs enact culturally sustaining practices in their future classrooms.

Author Biography

Stephanie Wasta, James Madison University

Dr. Stephanie Wasta earned her Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education at the University of Iowa. She is a professor and graduate director in the Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities Department at James Madison University. Her research interests include culturally responsive teaching practices and equity practices to support multilingual learners.

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Additional Files

Published

2023-03-31

How to Cite

Koubek, E. and Wasta, S. . (2023) ’Preservice Teachers’ Experiences on Becoming Culturally Responsive Educators: An Action Research Case Study’, Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 12–25. https://doi.org/10.7160/eriesj.2023.160102

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2023): Special Issue on Practitioner Inquiry: Towards Efficiency and Responsibility in Teaching and Teacher Education

Section

Research Paper

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Copyright (c) 2023 Ekaterina Koubek, Stephanie Wasta

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