“You Won't Believe What They Said in Class Today”: Professors’ Reflections on Student Resistance in Multicultural Education Courses

Teaching diversity: a reflexive learning opportunity for a teacher educator

“…Mayberry (1996) explained that 'This debate over identity-based credibility (teaching what you are versus teaching what you're not) is currently the most visible expression of identity politics in higher education' (p. 3). This problematic fact reported almost two decades ago, that the identity of an educator affects his/her credibility with students, still remains too similar today (Dunn et al, 2014;Gorski et al, 2012). This study extends the existing literature that minoritized teacher educators like myself without certain identity markers or cultural capital are typically placed in a vulnerable situation in relation to their students, and are subsequently faced with an emotional burden to demonstrate their relevance or qualifications.…”

“…For instance, with the topic of race/racism, some white students challenged my qualification to discuss the topic alleging that I do not know what really happened in the US history. Students' both explicit and implicit resistance in diversity courses, especially white students resistance against the notion of privilege, has been found in many prior studies (Boatright-Horowitz & Soeung, 2009;Dunn et al, 2014;Han et al, 2014;Ukpokodu, 2007), and thus it was not surprising for me to experience this. In one extreme case, however, a student fought back in front of the entire class and then eventually dropped out of the program.…”

“…Firstly, when teaching diversity in higher education contexts, teacher educators have widely endorsed building relationship with students, creating a safe learning environment, and being responsive as a critically powerful tool, especially to overcome tensions with students (Dunn et al, 2014;Han et al, 2014;Kitchen, 2005;Reynolds, 2011). I too have highly valued these approaches as pivotal foundations of my instruction.…”

“…There were no significant differences across gender or other identities. In a more recent study by Dunn, Dotson, Ford, and Roberts (2014), four teacher educators teaching multicultural education courses in the US shared their experiences about students' resistance and reflected on how their own identities have been influenced by students' comments. Similarly, Han et al (2014) conducted a collaborative self-study to examine how a group of seven teacher educators define, enact, and navigate their roles as culturally responsive educators across various programs within a higher education institution.…”

Students’ Evaluation of Google Hangouts Through a Cross-Cultural Group Discussion Activity

“…However, a study showed that students living in less diverse communities tend to exhibit negative attitudes towards multicultural education (Dunn, Dotson, Ford, & Roberts, 2014). BaŞbay (2014) claimed that interaction with other cultures improves students' cultural awareness and helps them develop respect and appreciation for differences.…”