Identities and Social Justice Values of Prospective Teachers of Color: A Case Study of Three Prospective Teachers of Color

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2009

Keywords

Education, Prospective teachers, Race, Social justice, Teacher education, Teachers of color, Values

Abstract

This empirical study of social justice values among three prospective teachers who identity as being "of color" emphasizes the constellations of social justice sensibilities (perceptions of injustice, concern for the situations of others, socio-political and cultural consciousness, sensitivity regarding the conditions of others) they derived from race related socio-cultural experiences and expressed as social justice values oriented toward injustice. This study aimed to understand where normative theories of justice converge and diverge with prospective teachers' beliefs and actions (as indicators of values) depicting what they perceive as just or fair. This included understanding the relationships among racial and/or ethnic identity (or other aspects of identity), socio-cultural experience, social justice sensibilities and values, and the perspectives of prospective teachers of color regarding the role of teachers, students, and institutions in educating all students. It is descriptive in its attempt to identify prominent socio-cultural experiences related to race. It is explanatory in its attempt to describe how such experiences figure in the formation and articulation of thoughts (i.e., beliefs, attitudes) and actions (i.e., verbal, interactions, inaction) as dispositions related to social justice in real life (versus experimental) settings, and normative in its attempt to inform and improve teacher education. The expected outcomes of this study were: (1) To gain a better understanding of the role of race and/or ethnicity in fostering socio-cultural experiences affecting the development of social justice sensibilities. (2) To contribute to the profile of social justice sensibilities and the formation and articulation (orientations and expressions) of social justice values in context. (3) To make suggestions for teacher education in response to participants' perspectives, discourses, paradigms, and philosophies of justice.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

No

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Identities and Social Justice Values of Prospective Teachers of Color: A Case Study of Three Prospective Teachers of Color, Ph. D. dissertation, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (3367385)

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