What Precipitates Change in Cultural Diversity Awareness during a Multicultural Course

Abstract

Teacher educators embrace the messages that “classroom teachers must be multicultural” and “teacher educators are charged with nurturing multicultural tenets.” However, most teacher educators indicate that student resistance substantially impedes the success of both. This study investigated the relationship between instructional methodology and changes in resistance to cultural diversity sensitivity among Caucasian teacher education students in a required junior-level cultural diversity course. Both empirical and qualitative instruments were used to examine the importance of instructional methodology. The Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory (CDAI) was used as a pretest and posttest empirical measure; and reflective journals, field experience reports, and research projects were examined to investigate incremental changes. The study results indicated that the message can precipitate some change in cultural diversity sensitivity, but the methodology used to reduce resistance and nurture and reinforce the message has a greater influence.