The purpose of this study was to investigate the understandings and meanings of ethnicity as constructed by preservice teachers within the context of a semester-long, junior level, multicultural education course and to develop grounded theory. The participants in the study included the researcher and 59 preservice teachers. / The methods implemented in this naturalistic, interpretive study included the collection of qualitative data through participant observation, audiotaping of selected class meetings, and document analysis of dialogue journals, reader response journals, and modified case studies of elementary school children. The theoretical framework consisted of constructivism (Von Glasersfeld), multicultural theory (Banks), critical pedagogy (McLaren), and transactional reader response theory (Rosenblatt). / The research questions that guided the development of this study were: (1) What understandings of ethnicity do preservice teachers bring with them to the course? (2) How do preservice teachers construct their understandings of ethnicity? (3) How do preservice teachers make meaning from course-related experiences and other identifiable experiences relating to ethnicity? (4) How do preservice teachers think that their beliefs about ethnicity will influence them in their roles as teachers? / Through inductive analysis three themes emerged: Responding, Understanding, and Envisioning. Responding addresses the preservice teachers' transaction with children's and adult's literature as a validation of their prior experiences, pre-existing beliefs, and personal value systems. Understanding and Envisioning presents a continuum of stages of belief of ascribed ethnicity. The continuum describes stages from Denying Differences to Accepting Differences to Valuing Differences. / It demonstrates a need for teacher educators to assist preservice teachers' understanding that multicultural education is not simply curriculum content, but it includes teaching for equity and the reduction of racism. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3028. / Major Professor: Kathryn P. Scott. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77512 |
| Contributors | Benson, Margaret Louise., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 107 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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