International Journal of Multicultural Education
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Personal Agency Inspired by Hardship: Bilingual Latinas as Liberatory Educators
This qualitative multiple case study focused on eleven non-traditional, bilingual, Latinas within a teacher education program. The study explored various factors that influenced participants’ desire to pursue and ability to persist as pre-service teachers. The overarching theme identified among participant discourse was personal agency inspired by hardship. Findings indicated that, as a result of their cultural and experiential understandings, participants enacted culturally responsive teaching with their Latino/a students. Furthermore, participants demonstrated a strong sense of personal agency to improve the educational outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students and a desire to advocate specifically on behalf of English learner Latino/a students
Empowering Pasifika Students to Express their Identities through Visual Arts in New Zealand Secondary Schools: The Role of Euro-descendent Teachers
The greatest numbers of young people in New Zealand are from Pasifika peoples’ ethnic groups. In contrast, art teachers in secondary schools are predominantly European. Research conducted in 2015, which investigated how art teachers are responding to the increasing diversity of students, uncovered important insights. This article provides “snapshots” of how four European-New Zealand art teachers, who work in schools where Pasifika students comprise the largest ethnic group, are empowering them to express themselves within their cultural milieu. Articulated through the voices of the art teachers, the stories of these students are visualized through examples of their art works
“Otherness” as Threat: Social and Educational Exclusion of Roma People in Greece
This paper focuses on aspects of the social and educational exclusion that Roma people face in the Greek context. It argues that diversity has been constructed as a threat for the security, the social cohesion, and the well-being of western societies. Drawing from two case studies of primary schools conducted in a highly deprived suburb of Athens, where most Roma live in harsh conditions, we argue that socially constructed dispositions regarding diversity and inadequate state policies are major obstacles for the improvement of educational opportunities and life chances of Roma people in Greece
Biracial Identity Development: A Case of Black-Korean Biracial Individuals in Korea
This study examines two cases of Black-Korean biracial individuals and 4 Black-Korean biracial public figures who were playing influential roles in South Korea (Yoon Mi-Rae, Hines Ward, Insooni, and Moon Taejong). The purpose of this study was to understand how Black-Korean biracial individuals construct their identities, how they navigate various identity options, and how they understand experiences they have in South Korea that are significant to their identity development. This study raises a number of issues in the Korean context where the ideology of a “pureblood” Korean race still prevails, and biracial Koreans continue to face implications of racism and colorism.
Prereferral Process with Latino English Language Learners with Specific Learning Disabilities: Perceptions of English-as-a-Second-Language Teachers
This study explored perceptions of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers on the prereferral process for Latino English language learners (ELLs). Using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological approach, qualitative data were collected through interviews with four ESL teachers. Analyses of the data indicated that the ESL teachers used research-based interventions and progress-monitoring in the prereferral process with Latino ELLs. Data analysis also indicated negative participant perceptions of parental and school-level influence on the identification process. Key concerns about the identification of Latino ELLs with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are presented, raising questions about current practices in school districts with small ELL populations
Using Ecological Asset Mapping to Investigate Pre-Service Teachers’ Cultural Assets
We examined the impact of a pedagogical strategy, ecological asset mapping, on 19 pre-service teachers’ self-exploration, development of respect for others, and critical examination of social injustice. Data were analyzed from participants’ ecological asset maps and essays describing the experience of completing and sharing the maps. The analysis of the maps generated two themes, transitions over time and multiple identities whereas four themes emerged from the essays such as navigating support systems, self consciousness, process as pedagogy, and consciousness raising. Findings suggest ecological asset mapping can be a powerful pedagogical tool in supporting pre-service teachers’ self-awareness, respect for others, exploration of cultural assets, and development of critical consciousness
Immigrant Parents’ Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Care Practices in the Finnish Multicultural Context
Although the number of immigrant families is increasing in Finland, the research on their perspectives on early childhood and care (ECEC) services is scarce. The objective of this small-scale case study was to increase the understanding of immigrant families’ perspectives on ECEC practices. Through the qualitative content analysis of interview-based data, four themes emerged as particularly important for working with immigrant families: (a) fostering dialogue and mutual understanding; (b) promoting cultural and linguistic diversity; (c) encouraging cooperative partnership; and (d) providing support and individualized attention. This study contributes to the development of more inclusive and supportive ECEC practices in order to better support families with immigrant backgrounds
Exploring the Civic Identities of Latina/o High School Students: Reframing the Historical Narrative
Notions of citizenship, as taught through the official state curriculum, are narrow and fail to consider the importance of histories that reveal a composite of diverse races/ethnicities, multiple languages, and complex patterns of immigration and transnationalism. The richness of such histories embodies the experiences and contributions of Latinas/os along the geopolitical border of the United States and Mexico. This qualitative case study analysis focuses attention on the teaching and learning practices and experiences in a secondary classroom serving late arrival immigrant students. The teacher and students willingly trouble the existing historical narrative and consequently insert other perspectives and civic identities into said narrative. The uses of more critical notions of historical inquiry and knowledge of the historical narrative as a cultural tool are vital in disrupting traditional histories and themes, thus promoting civic participation among marginalized communities.
Momentos de Cambio: Cultivating Bilingual Students’ Epistemic Privilege through Memoir and Testimonio
In this article, we describe how students were invited to write and publicly read their momentos de cambio (moments of change) stories—memoirs in which they recount moments of significant change, both joyful and traumatic, in their lives. Drawing from elements of Latino critical theory, we conceptualize these stories in part as testimonios—opportunities for the students to voice their own truths and experiences in the world. We describe how the concept of momentos de cambio served as a rhetorical resource for claiming epistemic privilege and interpretive authority across the school year