Multicultural Perceptions of 1st-Year Elementary Teachers’ Urban, Suburban, and Rural Student Teaching Placements

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the effects student teaching in four settings (urban Comer, urban non-Comer, suburban, and rural) had on 1st-year teachers’ (a) perceptions of success in general, (b) success as it relates to their perceptions of the multicultural needs of students, and (c) perceptions of success in their interactions with parents from a variety of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The findings indicate that 1st-year teachers who had student teaching experiences in urban settings perceived themselves as better prepared to deal with multicultural needs of children and better prepared to work with parents in multiracial and multiethnic settings. The implications include the conclusion that student teaching placements in cross-cultural settings contribute to the preparation of 1st-year teachers for work in urban schools.