This research study explored and analyzed the perception and attitudes of first year
White special education teachers’ experiences as they successfully matriculated through
an alternative teacher certification program with a concentration in Special Education.
The certifying entity for this teacher preparation program was a historically Black
university (HBCU). It was the intent of this study to gather data on how White first year
special education teachers view multiculturalism and diversity. This studied explored the
rationale for why White pre-service teachers would select a HBCU to prepare them to
enter the teaching field.
This was a qualitative study using a naturalistic inquiry approach to learn about the
perception of the participants. There were five participants selected to participant in this
study. A set of guiding questions were used in order to maintain a focus, provide
structure and give consistency to the interview process. The participants all were teaching
in special education classrooms in large urban school districts. The classrooms they
taught in were culturally and linguistically diverse. The data collection methods used
included interviews, small group discussions and surveys. These interactions were audio
taped then transcribed. The transcriptions were then reviewed by the participants to
incorporate a member checking mechanism for the study.
All five of the participants believed they benefitted from receiving their teaching
certification from the HBCU. Their goal was to work in an urban setting and they agreed
the certification program they attended helped them to become aware of the importance
of celebrating diversity in their classes. All of the participants described an awakening to
the challenges faced by students from low socio-economic, culturally and linguistically
diverse students. Along with this epiphany the participants discussed the need to close the
cultural gap between themselves and the students they teach. They all realized the
importance of closing the gap in order to build mutual trust in their classrooms. The
implications for future research include a broader study of the strategies used by White
teachers to connect with culturally and linguistically diverse students in their classrooms. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/ETD-UT-2010-05-891 |
| Date | 30 September 2010 |
| Creators | Budd, Eric Eugene |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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