IAHRW International Journal of Social Sciences Review

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

The Contribution of Placement School Practical Experiences to Prospective Teachers' Multicultural Competence Development: Ethiopian Secondary Schools in Focus


Affiliations
1 Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
2 Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


This study was designed to examine the contribution of placement school practical experiences to prospective teachers' multicultural competence development in Ethiopia. The major sources of data were prospective teachers of the three randomly selected Teacher Education Institutes in the three Ethiopian Universities (i.e., Bahir Dar, Mekelle & Hawassa) who took their placement school experiences at the respective secondary schools. Two hundred and forty prospective teachers were selected from five hundred and seventy three prospective teachers of the 2011/2012 academic year cohort using a proportional random sampling technique to fill in the questionnaire. Fifteen prospective teachers were also selected for interview using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaire and interview. The data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed using percentage and one sample t-test. Interview data were reported in words following themes made vis-à-vis the research questions of this study. The findings of the study pointed out that collaboration among prospective teachers, staffs of placement schools, and students' parents at the placement schools have brought the required multicultural knowledge, attitude, and skill to prospective teachers. The findings also showed that the school community showed some bias towards the multicultural groups of learners. The findings further showed that learner-centered knowledge construction philosophy is at its infant stage at the placement schools. In light of these findings, relevant recommendations have been made in the paper.

Keywords

Multiculturalism, Teacher Educators, Prospective Teachers, Multicultural Competence, Placement Schools.
User
Subscription Login to verify subscription
Notifications
Font Size

  • Abbay, A. (2004). Diversity and state-building in Ethiopia. African Affairs, 103(413), 593-614.

  • Apple, M.W. (1993). Official knowledge: Democratic education in a conservative age. New York: Routledge.

  • Au, K.H., & Kawakami, A.J. (1994). Cultural congruence in instruction. In E. R. Hollins, J. E. King, and W. C. Hayman (Eds.), Teaching diverse population (pp. 5-24). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

  • Bishaw, A. (2008). Hidden curriculum: Impact analysis on multiculturalism in higher learning institutions. Thesis Submitted to the University of Delhi for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy.

  • Banks, J.A. (2008). An introduction to multicultural education (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

  • Bennett, M. (1993). Towards ethnocentricism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Education for the intercultural experience (2nd ed.). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.

  • Brisk, M. E., (2008). Culturally responsive teaching of teacher educators. Retrieved on June 12, 2010 from education.byu.edu./ellsymposium/documents/highered pdf

  • Brown, E. (2004). What precipitates change in cultural diversity awareness during a multicultural course: The message or the method? Journal of Teacher Education, 55, 325-340.

  • Brown, L. D. (2009). Pre-service teachers' attitudes toward their preparedness to teach culturally diverse student populations. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of education in the department of curriculum and instruction in the graduate school of the University of Alabama.

  • Cross, K. P. (1982). Thirty years have passed: Trends in general education. In L. B. Johnson (Ed.), General education in the two-year colleges (pp. 11-20). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • Ferdman, B.M., & Gallegos, P. I. (2001). Latinos and racial identity development. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe and B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology (pp. 32-66). New York: New York University Press.

  • Freire, P. (1989). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum Press.

  • Gay, G. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53, 106-116.

  • Giroux, H. A. (2006). Border pedagogy in the age of post modernism (1988). In E. P. Provenzo (Ed.), Critical issues in education (pp. 210-225). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Groulx, J. G. (2001). Changing pre-service teacher perceptions of minority schools. Urban Education, 36(1), 60-92.

  • Haberman, M. J. (1996). The preparation of teachers for a diverse, free society. In L.

  • Kaplan and R.A. Edelfelt (Eds.), Teachers for the new millennium. Washington: Corw in Press, Inc.

  • Haberman, M., & Post, L. (1992). Does direct experience change education students' perceptions of low-income minority children? Midwestern Educational Researcher, 5(2), 29-31.

  • Haileselassie, T. (1999). The cultural foundation in Ethiopia. IER Flambean, 7(1), 1-10.

  • Hoover, J. J., Klinger, J. K., Baca, L. M., & Patton, J. M. (2008). Methods for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional learners. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

  • Irvine, J. J. (2003). Educating teachers for diversity: Seeing with a cultural eye. New York: Teachers College Press.

  • Jay, M. (2003). Critical race theory, multicultural education, and the hidden curriculum of hegemony. Multicultural Perspective, 5(4), 3-9.

  • Kenea, A. (2010). Education and diversity: Pupils' perceptions of 'others' and curricular responses at selected sites in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Education, XXX, Issue 1.

  • Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

  • Lawton, D. (1983). Curriculum studies and educational planning. Hodder and Stoughton.

  • Mason, T. C. (1999). Prospective teachers' attitudes toward urban schools: Can they be changed? Multicultural Education, 6(4), 9-13.

  • McLaren, P. (1994). White terror and oppositional agency: Towards a critical multiculturalism. In D.T. Goldberg (Ed.), Multiculturalism: A critical reader (pp. 45-74). Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

  • McNiel, J.D. (1996). Curriculum: A comprehensive introduction (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Harper Collins College Publisher.

  • Meacham, J. (2002). Engaging the complexity of U.S. diversity: University of California at Berkeley. Website text (http://www.diversityweb.org/ Digest/ sp02/berkeley.html) Milner, H. R. (2006). Pre-service teachers learning about cultural and racial diversity: Implications for urban education. Urban Education, 41(4), 343-375.

  • MOE (1994). Education and training policy. Addis Ababa.

  • MOE, (2003). Teacher education system overhaul. Unpublished, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

  • Paccione, A. V. (2000). Developing a commitment to multicultural education. Teachers College Record, 102(6), 980-1005.

  • Pohan, C., & Aquilar, T. (2001). Measuring educators' beliefs about diversity in personal and professional contexts. [Electronic version]. American Educational Research Journal, 38(1), 159–182.

  • Prater, M. A., Wilder, L. K., & Dyches, T. T. (2008). Shaping one traditional special educator preparation program toward more cultural competence. Teaching Education, 19, 137-151.

  • Pratt-Johnson, Y. (2006). Communicating cross-culturally: What teachers should know. The Internet TESL Journal, XII, Issue 2. New York: St. John's University Retrieved on June 20, 2010 from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Pratt-Johnson-CrossCultural.html.

  • Sleeter, C. (2001). Preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools: Research and the overwhelming presence of whiteness. Journal of Teacher Education, 52, 94-106.

  • Sobel, M., & Taylor, S. (2005). Diversity preparedness in teacher education. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 41, 83-86.

  • Villegas, A.M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers: A coherent approach. Albany, NY: State University of New York.

  • Yirga, A. (2007). Pre-service teachers' awareness about cultural diversity in educational settings and their readiness to teach culturally diverse students: The case of Bahir Dar University. Ethiopian Journal of Education, XXVII, Issue 2.

  • Yilma, G. (2008). Teachers' awareness, attitudes and practices of multiculturalism in education: The case of eshet primary school in Addis Ababa. Unpublished M.A. thesis, AAU.

  • Zeichner, K.M. (1996). Educating teachers for cultural diversity. In K. Zeichner, S. Melnick, and M.L. Gomez (Eds.), Currents of reform in pre-service teacher education (pp. 133-175). New York: Teachers College Press.


Abstract Views: 171

PDF Views: 0




  • The Contribution of Placement School Practical Experiences to Prospective Teachers' Multicultural Competence Development: Ethiopian Secondary Schools in Focus

Abstract Views: 171  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Solomon Melesse
Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Dawit Mekonnen
Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract


This study was designed to examine the contribution of placement school practical experiences to prospective teachers' multicultural competence development in Ethiopia. The major sources of data were prospective teachers of the three randomly selected Teacher Education Institutes in the three Ethiopian Universities (i.e., Bahir Dar, Mekelle & Hawassa) who took their placement school experiences at the respective secondary schools. Two hundred and forty prospective teachers were selected from five hundred and seventy three prospective teachers of the 2011/2012 academic year cohort using a proportional random sampling technique to fill in the questionnaire. Fifteen prospective teachers were also selected for interview using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaire and interview. The data collected through the questionnaire were analyzed using percentage and one sample t-test. Interview data were reported in words following themes made vis-à-vis the research questions of this study. The findings of the study pointed out that collaboration among prospective teachers, staffs of placement schools, and students' parents at the placement schools have brought the required multicultural knowledge, attitude, and skill to prospective teachers. The findings also showed that the school community showed some bias towards the multicultural groups of learners. The findings further showed that learner-centered knowledge construction philosophy is at its infant stage at the placement schools. In light of these findings, relevant recommendations have been made in the paper.

Keywords


Multiculturalism, Teacher Educators, Prospective Teachers, Multicultural Competence, Placement Schools.

References