Changes in Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Language Issues

Preservice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy-Forming Experiences: A Mixed Methods Study

“…The findings of the study are important given the probability that tomorrow's teachers may teach students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Gallego, 2001;Taylor & Sobel, 2001;Torok & Aguilar, 2000). However, several limitations in both phases of the study should be considered in the interpretation and generalization of these findings.…”

Balancing Linguistic and Social Needs: Evaluating Texts Using a Critical Language Awareness Approach

“…The method that we present for conducting a critical evaluation of texts is based on Fairclough's (1989) concept of critical language awareness (CLA). As in the research concerning teacher beliefs (e.g., Cochran-Smith, 1995;Torok & Aguilar, 2000;Yost et al, 1999), a body of research exists that confirms the value of CLA as an instructional framework that has the potential to change and enhance the beliefs of students about issues of diversity (Janks, 1999;Kramer-Dahl, 2001;Mehl & Pendlebury, 1991). Janks, for instance, presented a course on the racial politics driving education and the media in South Africa.…”

“…While such literature argues the importance of learning to read a text critically, researchers have not asked if learning to read a text critically inspires teachers to provide opportunities for their students to address inequities in their lives. Instead, researchers have explored the extent to which classes centered around issues of race (Cochran-Smith, 1995;Yost, Forlenza-Bailey, & Shaw, 1999), class, or gender (Torok & Aguilar, 2000) influence preservice teacher belief formation. The research in this area has been promising as it confirms that teachers who grapple with issues facing minority students, in their teaching practices, their readings, or discussion, do develop a deeper understanding of issues surrounding diversity, change often unexamined beliefs about diversity, and develop a teaching style that reflects their new understanding.…”

Beyond Special and General Education as Identity Markers: The Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Preservice Teachers’ Understanding of The Effects of Intersecting Sociocultural Identities

“…The two scales that constitute the Personal and Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scales (PPBD, Pohan & Aguilar, 2001) were replicated in five published studies (Akiba, 2011;Dedeoglu & Lamme, 2011;Kyles & Olafsan, 2008;Middleton, 2002;Pohan, Ward, Kouzekanani, & Boatright, 2009;Torok & Aguilar, 2000) to measure changes in preservice teachers beliefs after a course or series of courses on multicultural education. Although the definition of diversity captured in the PPBD is broad, the changes in participants' beliefs were not necessarily consistent across these replicated studies.…”

“…First personal and professional beliefs about diversity are of importance and often measured in teacher preparation programs (McCall et al, 2014). Personal and professional beliefs are distinct, but interrelated with one another (Benton-Borghi & Chang, 2012;Pohan & Aguilar, 2001) and may change in response to course work and field experiences (Akiba, 2011;Dedeoglu & Lamme, 2009;Middleton, 2002;Pohan et al 2009;Torok & Aguilar, 2000). Second, when working with diverse populations, educators with strong competence to work with diverse learners demonstrate evidence of high expectations for all students Liang & Zhang, 2009;McCall et al, 2014).…”