Diversity in Teacher Education Programs in Literacy and Reading: A Nationwide Investigative Study

Michigan Reading Association Annual Conference Lightning The Way For Literacy

Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D. & Tanya S. Wright, Ph.D. March 9, 2013

Diversity in United States Teacher Education Programs in Literacy and

Reading: A Nationwide Investigative Study

International Reading Association, Learning Diversity Committee

Introduction

Racial/Ethnic Diversity in U.S. Schools

English Language Learners in U.S. Schools

Racial/Ethnic Diversity of U.S. Teachers

82.9

6.9

7.2

1.3 0.2 0.5 0.9

Percentage of U.S. Teachers by Racial/Ethnic Diversity in 2007-2008

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native

IRA Standard 4: Diversity

Candidates create and engage their students in literacy practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of differences in our society.

Studying Teacher Education: AERA Report •  Teacher candidates are a homogenous population

with limited experience interacting with people from different backgrounds to their own.

•  Enter teacher prep programs with negative or deficit attitudes about those who are different from themselves.

•  Limited evidence of whether activities aimed at reducing prejudice have long-term results on the instruction that teacher candidates provide.

Cochran-Smith, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). Studying teachers education: The report of the American Education Research Association (AERA) panel on research in teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum, 7(3). 20-27.

Studying Teacher Education: AERA Report

•  Candidates placed in urban settings with diverse students for field work gain more complex understandings of cultural and experiential differences than candidates in suburban settings.

•  Teacher preparation programs are at different points in preparing teacher candidates to address diversity.

Cochran-Smith, M. & Zeichner, K. (2005). Studying teachers education: The report of the American Education Research Association ( AERA) panel on research in teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum, 7(3). 20-27.

Teacher Education for Equity and Democracy

Equitable Access Democratic Participation & Advocacy for Equity

Recruit & admit More diverse teacher candidates Candidates committed to multicultural democracy and equity

Early fieldwork In multiple classrooms, Inquiry-based to disrupt deficit theorizing, In communities to learn culture of students

Inquiry into school and community patterns of inequity

Professional coursework Self-analysis, Socio-cultural framework for teaching & learning, Teaching strategies linking what students bring to academics

Strategies for building multicultural democracy in classroom, Nature of institutional discrimination in society and schools

Student teaching In culturally diverse and/or low-income schools, with plenty of time and support

In classrooms that support democratic decision-making, With teachers that model advocacy stance

On-going professional development Practice-based inquiry with support Activist teacher networks

Sleeter, C. E. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: Research and the overwhelming presence of whiteness. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(2), 94-106.

Defining Diversity

The dimensions of diversity range from generic facets involving race, culture, religion, language, and gender identity, including differences related to learning interests, capabilities, and disabilities.

Multicultural Education

Teaching Teacher

Educator Dispositions

Theoretical Framework

Investigation Objective

How are literacy teacher educators faring with IRA’s

Standard 4: Diversity?

Research Questions

•  Question 1: What are the beliefs and values teacher educators hold about diversity as it relates to teacher preparation programs?(survey)

•  Question 2: How do teacher educators describe the experience they provide around diversity? (narrative description)

•  Question 3: What influences shape literacy teacher educators’ teaching practices and developing beliefs about literacy and learning? (focus groups)

Methodology

Mixed-Methods

Quantitative

Logistic Regression

Modified Sign Tests

Bonferroni Corrections

Qualitative

Constant Comparative Method

Inter-Rater Reliability Cronbach’s Alpha .83

Survey Distribution

Participant Demographics

Institution Student Profile Institution Location Profile

Data Sources • Accreditation

Status • NCATE

• Institution Profile • Student

Population • Location

• Faculty Profile

Part 1: Institutional Information

• Life Experiences • Childhood • Adulthood • Work Life

Part 2: Faculty

Background

• Promotes • Diversity

Knowledge • Assessment

Understandings • Field

experiences

Part 3: Program Level

—Undergraduate

& Graduate

• Provides • Choice in

Addressing Diversity Issues

Part 4: Course Level

—Undergraduate

& Graduate • Describe

Innovative • Assignments • Experiences

Narrative Description

Research Question 1: Quantitative Results

What are the beliefs and values teacher educators hold about

diversity as it relates to teacher preparation programs?

Value of Diversity in General Value With Regard to Specific Areas of Diversity

Agreement

Disagreement 88.2

11.8

Agreement

Disagreement

Development of Diversity Awareness

Religion & Sexual Orientation

Sign Test Analysis

Reality is Relative to Experiences

Strong Logistic

Regression

Suburban

D=.95

Urban

Logistic Regression Analysis

IRA Standard 4: Diversity Valued by Teacher Educators

Teacher Educators Most Strongly Agreed

Institution of Employment Values

Diversity

IRA Standard 4: Diversity

P> .000000000000000000001 with Bonferroni Corrections

Modified Sign Tests

Instructional Practices Taught to Support Learning Among Diverse Students

Under Graduate

Relevant Curriculum

Differentiated Instruction

Adapt Approaches

for ELL

Graduate (P<.000001)

Relevant Curriculum

Differentiated Instruction

Adapt Approaches

for ELL

✔

✔

✔ ✔

✔

X

Coursework that Develops Diversity Awareness

Curriculum That Promotes Diversity Understanding

Complexity of Learning for ELL Students

Awareness of Responsibility to Educate About Diversity

(p< .0001)

Research Question 2: Qualitative Results

How do teacher educators describe the experiences they

provide around diversity?

Participant Narrative Demographics

Institution Student Profile Institution Location Profile

Narrative Response

Response Doesn’t

Answer the Question

(13)

Direct Engagement

(20)

Indirect Engagement

(40)

Both Direct & Indirect

Engagement (16)

Cronbach’s alpha 0.833

Indirect Engagement

Multicultural Literature

Observation of Diverse Learners Through Video

Readings Focused on

Diversity Cultural Studies

Planning Lessons That Include

Responding to Student Diversity

Indirect & Direct Engagement

Simulations

Reading Disabilities

Language Delays

Auditory Challenges

Interpreting Writing & Reading Errors

Direct Engagement

Tutoring Students

Field Placement

Family Literacy Events

Cultural Studies

Interview Project

Limitation

Low Number of Survey

Respondents N=201

Selection Bias

Conclusion

•  Teacher educators value addressing diversity •  Demographics and location of teacher preparation institutes influences one’s diversity lens

•  Next Steps: –  Find Ways to learn exactly what is happening and how it is enacted in the field

•  Conduct focus groups by institution size – Urban, Suburban, and Rural

Focus Group Questions

•  Briefly describe your teacher candidate profiles and the kinds of populations your teachers will serve.

•  Describe the complexities that your teacher candidate face when meeting the needs of diverse learners.

•  Describe what you do to prepare teacher candidate to meet the needs of diverse learners both at the program level and the courses you teach.

•  Describe what challenges you face in preparing teacher candidate to met the needs of diverse learners.

•  Specifically, can you speak to preparing teacher candidate to meet the needs of ELL, religious and sexual orientation and any other areas of diversity?

•  What else would like to add to our discussion?

Educational Significance

•  All students would benefit from higher education programs that cultivate diversity and multiculturally responsive teachers.

•  This research is significant to the enhancement of instructional support for the advancement of teaching diversity.

Between Teacher and Child

I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.

Ginott, H. (1975). Teacher and child: A book for parents and teachers. New York, NY: Macmillan.

Acknowledgments

•  International Reading Association Committee for Diversity of Learning –  Linda Akanbi, Ed.D. –  Susan Grogan, Ph.D. –  Abha Gupta, Ph.D. –  Wendy Kasten, Ph.D.* –  Julie Kidd, Ed.D. –  Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D.* –  Diana Sisson, Ed.D. –  Lynn Smolen, Ph.D. –  Tanya Wright, Ph.D.

•  Principal Investigators*

•  Quantitative Analysis Team –  Yeaton Clifton, Ph.D. –  Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D. –  Tanya Wright, Ph.D.

•  Qualitative Analysis Team –  Abha Gupta, Ph.D. –  Julie Kidd, Ed.D. –  Nedra Cossa –  Heather West –  Wendy Kasten, Ph.D. –  Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D.

•  Literature Review Team –  Tanya Wright, Ph.D. –  Marliese Peltier –  Chad Waldron

Contact Information

Sue Ann Sharma, Ph.D. sa3sharm@oakland.edu

Tanya S. Wright, Ph.D. tswright@msu.edu

Presentation can be found online at www.slideshare.com

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