Shaping Perceptions: Integrating Community Cultural Wealth Theory into Teacher Education

Abstract

Teacher candidates need to be prepared to work effectively with rising numbers of diverse student populations, and yet classroom interventions do not always impact perceptions and attitudes in the field. This study explored the initial steps of integrating Critical Race Theory and community cultural wealth (CCW) theory (Yosso, 2005, 2006) into the teacher education curriculum. The study asked if the candidates applied their knowledge of CCW in reflecting on their face-to-face interactions as hosts for Native American students in a diversity workshop. It further asked which types of (CCW) capital the candidates identified most frequently as they reflected on their experiences with Native American students. Results indicated that candidates can identify CCW in the field, with some types of capital more frequently identified than others. Because the potential exists for knowledge to shape perceptions (Kolb, 1984), the study concludes that CCW could be a valuable addition in teacher education curriculum. A more intensive focus on CCW and the addition of pre-contact activities, such as the sharing of counterstories (Yosso, 2006), may also promote knowledge translating into perception and attitudes.