Selected Demographics, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Diversity of Preservice Teachers

DEDEOĞLU H., LAMME L. L.

EDUCATION AND URBAN SOCIETY, vol.43, no.4, pp.468-485, 2011 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 43 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0013124510380718
  • Journal Name: EDUCATION AND URBAN SOCIETY
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.468-485
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In this study, preservice teachers' demographic variables such as race, innercity program experiences, religious affiliation, and cross-cultural friendships are examined to see if they influence the preservice teachers' beliefs on issues of diversity. The data are from a Personal Beliefs About Diversity Scale and a Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale. Analyses of the data indicate that religious denomination and cross-cultural friendship involvement as demographic variables significantly predicted scores on all the surveys. Another important finding of these analyses is a closing gap between students who had lower scores and higher scores on the presurveys by the end of the course.