Section archive - Multiculturalism & Diversity

This study, based on a corpus of interviews with student primary school teachers engaged in a two-year programme of initial teacher education in France, investigates their readiness to meet the challenges of the multicultural classroom. Their attitudes towards the cultural and linguistic diversity of their classrooms, and their capacity to go beyond simply ‘managing’ the situation are analysed. The results suggest that without major changes in approach at the levels of teacher education, schools administration and within schools themselves; the rich possibilities to develop positive attitudes to inclusion and interculturality offered by the presence of plurilingual and pluricultural children in primary school classrooms will continue to be overlooked.

This study explored gender differences in stressors experienced by teacher education students at the University of Ghana, and adaptation stratagems they might utilise to manage stress. In 2018–2019 academic year, a total of two hundred and seventy (270) second- and third-year students were selected using random sampling procedure to respond to closed-ended and open-ended questions in a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was to measure stressors students encounter and to measure students’ coping stratagems they might use to minimise their stress levels (Folkman & Lazarus, 1984). The findings show that the students use multiple strategies, such as praying/meditating and self-distracting activities to cope with stress. Although, females had higher overall perceived stress levels regarding encountered academic stressors and health stressors, the difference between genders was insignificant. Similarly, females had a higher perception of stress from psychosocial stressors when likened to males, however, the difference between genders was also insignificant. Regarding perceived coping stratagems, females utilised adaptive coping stratagems whilst males utilised maladaptive and avoidance coping stratagems although the difference between genders was also not significant. The study recommended among others that males be urged to likewise utilise increasingly adaptive strategies to control strain.

Despite their increasing population, many teacher preparation programs have yet to provide adequate preparation for teaching Emergent Bilinguals (EBs). To respond to this situation and to the high demand for effective teachers of EBs, the authors investigated how preservice teachers (PSTs) adapt mathematics lesson plans for EBs. Twenty-one secondary mathematics PSTs, enrolled in two university-based programs, participated in this study and developed lesson plans for EBs. The authors’ analysis revealed that although the PSTs frequently implemented visuals and group work strategies for EBs, they need to better integrate EBs’ funds of knowledge and academic language support.

Despite reports of already practicing K-12 teachers’ attempts to teach for critical social justice in their classrooms, there is little connection between teacher education programs and/or the impact of teacher practice in the classroom. This article presents data collected over 3 years from one teacher enrolled in an urban-multicultural teacher education program who transitioned into her first years of teaching. Findings revealed that the teacher implemented culturally relevant education through (a) a caring community, (b) holding high expectations, (c) cultural competence, and (d) sociopolitical awareness as a teacher. Barriers the teacher faced as well as lessons for teacher educators are shared.