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Teachers working in culturally diverse classrooms: implications for the development of professional standards and for teacher education.

Authors :
Thomas, Sue
Kearney, Judith
Source :
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education; May2008, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p105-120, 16p, 1 Diagram, 1 Chart, 5 Graphs
Publication Year :
2008

Abstract

This paper reports the outcomes of a survey to investigate the level of cultural understanding and confidence for teachers working in culturally diverse classrooms. The survey was administered to teachers in primary and secondary schools in an Australian regional city. The aim of analysis was to determine the direction and strength of association of six demographic variables with measures of cultural awareness among teachers and confidence in supporting the learning of students. It found that teacher responses to working in culturally diverse classrooms varied according to levels of familiarity with the cultural groups concerned and with the level of schooling within which the teacher worked. The paper outlines the implications of these findings for the development of professional standards and for teacher education. It discusses how these findings contribute to further investigations into the extent to which teachers understand cultural diversity and their confidence as literacy instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1359866X
Volume :
36
Issue :
2
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
31937665
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660801971625