Negotiating Resistance to Multiculturalism in a Teacher Education Curriculum: A Case Study

Overview & Synopsis

This study examined a teacher education program rooted in a social justice framework and intended to infuse multicultural education throughout the curriculum. Two teacher educators designed the three-year, undergraduate program to prepare mostly White candidates from a suburban area to teach in urban elementary schools. By describing the perceptions of both teacher candidates' and their instructors about programmatic experiences, coupled with examination of all course syllabi, we illuminate various dynamics that support and hinder multiculturalism in teacher education. The findings from this study reveal opportunities to enhance multicultural teacher education by negotiating candidates' resistance. Through opportunities that challenge their perspectives and scaffold their conceptions of ideas, such as classroom as communities, candidates can develop capacities as multicultural educators. Although we acknowledge that multicultural education should be a focus within and across programs, we believe this focus should be systematic, deliberate and visible. (Contains 4 footnotes.)