Developing Cultural Competency in Adult Pre-Service Teachers Helps Diverse Learners: Graduates' Perspectives in the United States of America
- Resource Type
- Journal Articles
Reports - Research
- Authors
- Lonnquist, Peg; RB-Banks, Yvonne; Huber, Katie
- Source
- Journal of the International Association of Special Education. Spr 2009 10(1):42-48.
- Subject
- Cultural Awareness
Multicultural Education
Required Courses
Preservice Teacher Education
Adult Students
Graduate Students
Student Experience
College Graduates
Surveys
Focus Groups
Course Content
Educational Improvement
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1555-6913
This study reports the results of an electronic survey and two focus groups that included former Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), students who took a required multicultural education course. As instructors in a pre-service teaching program for adult learners, we used a matrix of relevant materials to promote cultural competency within the framework of the required course. We wondered what course experiences benefited our former students once they were actually teaching learners with unique needs. We accessed our former graduates to learn how to improve course content to increase future teachers' cultural competency. The participants of the study offered suggestions for increasing the cultural competency levels of teachers in ways that should improved classroom practices, and offer more effective strategies for working with learners with diverse needs. (Contains 1 figure.)