Award Date

5-1-2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching and Learning

First Committee Member

Christine Clark

Second Committee Member

Katrina Liu

Third Committee Member

Norma Marrun

Fourth Committee Member

Iesha Jackson

Fifth Committee Member

Lisa Bendixen

Number of Pages

226

Abstract

The reproduction of white supremacist culture in schools continues to marginalize Students of Color in a variety of implicit, explicit, and systemic ways. As teachers are the one of the key arbiters of school culture, teacher education presents itself as a vital locus in need of critical inquiry and radical change. A diverse teacher workforce not only helps to disrupt the direct effects of racism on Students of Color, but also prepares all students for successful democratic participation in a diverse global society (Sleeter, 2011). This study of teacher education examines the teacher demographic diversity gap within a College of Education in the southwestern United States, and adds to the literature on teacher licensure attainment for undergraduate Preservice Teachers of Color. The theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Culturally Relevant Critical Teacher Care are used as lens to center the assets, needs, and experiences of undergraduate Preservice Teachers of Color. The methodology is based on Critical Race Transformative Convergent Mixed Methods analysis, focusing on two overarching and connected purposes: 1) explore how undergraduate Preservice Teachers of Color experience teacher education coursework and define teacher care; 2) examine how teacher educators understand and practice Culturally Relevant Critical Teacher Care. Preservice Teachers of Color (n=8) and Teacher Educators (n=4) were interviewed. Survey data was also collected from undergraduate preservice teachers of all races within the COE (n=195). The findings and results revealed that lack of relationality and lack of political clarity prevent teacher educators from meeting the needs of undergraduate Preservice Teachers of Color in ways most relevant to their experiences and backgrounds. The findings also revealed how institutional policies and procedures in the COE present barriers to actions needed to bring systemic change.

Keywords

Critical race theory; Culturally relevant critical teacher care; Preservice teachers of color; QuantCrit; Teacher diversity; Teacher education

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Teacher Education and Professional Development

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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