Four Diverse Educators Chronicle Challenges in a Christian-Centered Society

Authors

Susan V. Bennett, University of MississippiFollow
AnnMarie Alberton Gunn, University of South Florida - St. PetersburgFollow
Mary Lou Morton, Walden UniversityFollow

Abstract

Culturally responsive teaching requires that students be perceived holistically and part of student culture is religious beliefs. The purpose of this research is to offer insight into experiences and understandings of four preservice and inservice teachers', from diverse religious backgrounds, Muslim, Judaism, Sikhism, and Mormonism, experiences and understandings as they studied and worked in colleges of education and elementary classrooms that are rooted in Anglo Christian traditions. We relied on aspects of critical multiculturalism and social identity theory to guide the qualitative case study. In this case study, we analyzed reflexive journals and interviews of four participants using withincase and cross-case analysis. Within-case and cross-case analyses included four themes: separation of church and state, teaching for equity and awareness, respect for religious diversity, and personal beliefs. These findings suggest teacher educators incorporate religious and spiritual issues into diversity discussions and continue to support preservice teachers' development of conscious self-awareness and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Keywords

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Religious Diversity, Multicultural, CaseStudy, Constant Comparison, Within-Case Analysis, Cross-Case Analysis, Preservice and Inservice Teachers, Teacher Education

Author Bio(s)

Susan V. Bennett, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Mississippi. Her research interests include culturally responsive teaching, writing instruction, creative arts, and teacher education. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: Susan V. Bennett at E-mail: sbennett@olemiss.edu

AnnMarie Alberton Gunn, Ph.D is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida St Petersburg. Her areas of interest are multicultural literature, critical literacies and teacher education. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: AnnMarie Alberton Gunn at, gunn@mail.usf.edu

Mary Lou Morton, Ph.D. taught on the elementary level for 21 years and has been teaching on the university level for 20 years. She presently works for Walden University. Her research focuses on cultural influences on learning and culturally relevant pedagogy. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: Mary Lou Morton at, marylou.morton@waldenu.edu

Publication Date

5-18-2015

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2135

Recommended APA Citation

Bennett, S. V., Gunn, A. A., & Morton, M. (2015). Four Diverse Educators Chronicle Challenges in a Christian-Centered Society. The Qualitative Report, 20(5), 636-656. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2135