Teachers' constructions of cultural diversity: An ethnographic study of two multiethnic and multiracial Head Start classrooms
Author(s):
Inoway-ronnie, Eden Toshiko
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1996.
Pages:
384
Language:
English
Abstract:
This dissertation explores the process by which two white teachers constructed their notions of cultural diversity through their contact with children and parents of several racial and ethnic groups in two Head Start classrooms in a midwestern city. Both classrooms had a combination of Southeast Asian (Hmong, Cambodian, Laotian and Chinese-Vietnamese), African-American, Latino and white students. Ethnographic research was conducted over a two year period, involving observations in classrooms, on field trips, staff training sessions, and parent meetings; formal and informal interviews with teachers, teaching assistants and parents; and document analysis. This study used research on teachers' perceptions and the cultural incompatibility theory as starting points from which to explore teachers' notions of diversity. Research findings suggest that the teachers' constructions of cultural diversity included the following notions: (1) culture is constantly in a process of change, (2) there is important diversity within all ethnic and racial groups, and (3) there are private and public aspects of culture. The study also found that teachers place a great deal of emphasis on the individuality of each child in their classrooms, emphasizing commonalities across racial and ethnic group lines, rather than focusing on differences. Teachers' constructions of cultural diversity, particularly their emphasis on individualism, can be explained by considering a number of interrelated factors. These factors include the Head Start agency's use of both an anti-bias curriculum approach and the agency's use of the High/Scope curriculum model, the organizational structure of the programs, the personal experiences of the individual teachers, and social context in which particular Head Start programs are located. The societal emphasis on individualism rather than group similarity, which translates into a wide range of practices focusing on individual characteristics, also plays an important part in how teachers think about and respond to cultural minority students. Conclusions drawn from this research suggest some of the limitations of the cultural incompatibility theory, and the need for more emphasis on wider social forces that constrain teachers' work.