I'm considering a study on racial, ethnic, and intercultural dimensions of the educational system for my capstone/thesis project. Here's an annotated bibliography I recently put together on the topic.Sheets, R. H., & Hollins, E. R. (Eds.). (1999). Racial and ethnic identity in school practices: Aspects of human development. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.
This compilation explores the implications of racial and ethnic identity formation for human development and successful pedagogy. The thematic thread that runs through the text is the assertion that Eurocentric theories of human development do not adequately address the learning needs of racially and ethnically diverse learners. Chapters on the racial identity formation process of various groups (including African-American, Asian, and Hispanic) reveal how schools can use this knowledge to deliver relevant counseling practices and teaching-learning experiences. The text makes clear that teachers do influence the racial perceptions of their students through, for example, perceptions of power distance, and their own attitudes towards diversity. The book notes that schools/teachers can respond in three ways to the issues of race and ethnicity. They can deny their importance for pedagogy, recognize its influences but do little about it, or embrace and act on these constructs as important factors in student learning.
Nieto, S. (2002). Language, culture, and teaching: Critical perspectives for a new century. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum.
Nieto (2002) explores the interconnection of language, culture, teaching and learning in this critical look at pedagogic theory and practice. She investigates the sociocultural and sociopolitical dimensions of language and culture and their implications for student academic outcomes. The goal is to translate issues of linguistic and cultural diversity into action items for educational reform and equity and to motive teachers to adopt a reflective and critical approach to classroom practices, derived from an understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. Nieto (2002) challenges the prevailing assimilationist approach to education based on a Eurocentric worldviews and proposes a sociopolitical definition of multicultural education that includes combating racism and the pursuit of social justice. The author argues that teaching is not a neutral enterprise but a political project and teachers need to be aware of the interests that they are advancing or suppressing by their pedagogy.
Assaf, L., Garza, R., & Battle, J. (2010). Multicultural teacher education: Examining the perceptions, practices, and coherence in one teacher preparation program. Teacher Education Quarterly, 37(2), 115-135.
Assaf, Garza and Battle (2010) examined the multicultural education perceptions and beliefs of 14 teacher educators at a large southwestern university to determine the extent of coherence. They discovered that most of the teacher educators viewed classroom diversity with a mix of excitement (difference is good) and anxiety (how can we handle it). They mostly agreed that one of the best way for teachers-in-training to prepare for the multicultural classroom is through experiential learning that exposes them directly to students from these cultures. The teacher educators were split on how best to theoretically prepare students for racially and ethnically mixed classrooms. Some proposed a universal best practices approach that would work for all students, while others argued for adaptations in teaching. Overall, the researchers concluded that “the teacher educators’ varied perspectives and practices may not illustrate a coherent teacher education program” (Assaf, Garza & Battle, 2010, p. 130).
Taylor, L. K., & Hoechsmann, M. (2011). Beyond intellectual insularity: Multicultural literacy as a measure of respect. Canadian Journal of Education, 34(2), 219-238.
Taylor and Hoechsmann (2011) wanted to know where Canadian high school students were acquiring multicultural knowledge on a wide range of issues. They conducted a national survey of 942 students, presenting them with historical and cultural facts from various countries. They then asked the students to indicate whether they knew that information or not, and if they did, whether they had learned it from school, their family, the media, or from friends/community members. The respondent’s cumulative average score on the questions was 50.23%, which the authors interpreted as strong, given that the questions required recalling information likely learned much earlier. Interestingly, the results showed that the biggest source of multicultural knowledge was schools (although most of the questions were based on material from the school curricula that the students would have been exposed to). Nevertheless, the authors propose some curriculum changes to further enhance multicultural literacy in schools.
Kim, B. K., Green, J., & Klein, E. F. (2006). Using storybooks to promote multicultural sensitivity in elementary school children. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34(4), 223-233.
Kim, Green and Klein (2006) note that because children are in their formative years, they make an ideal target for multicultural education. In this paper, the author discuss the use of storybooks to foster multicultural sensitivity among grade K-6 children. The authors note that this approach, which has its roots in bibliotherapy, can help foster perspective taking and multicultural social competence among elementary-age children. For some children, carefully selected multicultural storybooks can lead to openness to other cultures and worldviews while for others, they can serve to validate cultural difference. The article provides criteria that teachers can use to select books for use in enhancing children’s multicultural sensitivity, such as texts that deal with experiences the children can identify with, that are interesting and age-appropriate, and that include interesting illustrations. Examples of children’s multicultural sensitivity books recommended by the authors include Uncle Rain Cloud and Taking Sides.
