Novice Teachers’ Preparedness Towards Successfully Interacting with Culturally Diverse Student Populations

Abstract

Teacher effectiveness is the most influential factor to student achievement. Systems of public education in the United States have traditionally centered on White, middle class norms, as suggested by the founding arguments of Critical Race Theory. However, in the past decade, national population trends show an increase in minority populations, particularly in the southeastern United States. This trend has resulted in a cultural mismatch between teachers who are not trained in strategies that are responsive to the needs of a diverse student population. Novice teachers in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina participated in a study to examine the degree to which they were prepared to successfully interact with their culturally diverse student populations through the lens of culturally relevant classroom management (CRCM), based on their training at either predominately White or Black postsecondary institutions. The study found that teachers trained at PWIs, although well-intentioned, enter the classroom far less prepared than their HBCU-trained counterparts due primarily to a lack of exposure to culturally diverse experiences both personally and within their teacher education programs. This inadequate preparation manifests itself through increased frustration and a disproportionate reporting of disciplinary incidents toward African American students. To address the training gap between PWI- and HBCU-trained teachers, the findings of this study suggests taking candidate dispositions toward diversity into account in the teacher selection process, providing ongoing, community-based diversity training, and professional coaching models to support the unique needs of novice teachers and their diverse student populations.