Prepared to Teach: A Qualitative Case Study Exploring Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Preparedness to Teach Racially Diverse Students

Doctoral Candidate Name: Crystal Johnson
Program: Curriculum and Instruction
Defense Date and Time: November 10, 2022 – 9:00 AM
Defense Location: Zoom
Committee chair’s Name: Dr. Chance Lewis
Committee Members: Dr. Meghan Barnes, Dr. Spencer Salas, Dr. Tehia Glass
Abstract:

Beginning teachers are more likely to secure jobs in diverse school districts (Gagnon & Mattingly, 2012; (Holme et al., 2018). Unfortunately, beginning teachers are also more likely to leave diverse school districts and urban schools due to a number of challenges (Doran, 2020; Howard & Milner, 2021). Because these schools consist of predominately students of color, the high turnover affects students’ academic success (Ladson-Billings, 2022). Additionally, beginning teachers in these specific school settings have been historically non-proficient in providing students of color with a culturally relevant education (Ladson-Billings, 1995) which has caused the educational system to be centered around a Eurocentric perspective and not reflective of students’ racial diversity (Davis et al., 2022). Using a critical lens, this study explores three beginning teachers’ perceptions of preparedness in teaching racially diverse students and the influences it has on their teaching practices.
Keywords: beginning teachers, perceptions, racial diversity