Voices that matter: A phenomenological interviewing study of minority preservice teachers in teacher education programs

• Main Author: Lorenzo, Diane Crawley
• Language: ENG
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 1997
• Subjects: Teacher education|Curricula|Teaching|Physical education|Minority & ethnic groups|Sociology
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9721471

This study investigated the perceptions of fifteen minority preservice teachers about teacher education. Research questions guiding data collection included (a) what is the life history and past educational experiences of the participants, (b) what is it like to be a minority preservice teacher in a teacher education program, and (c) what meaning do the participants place on these life experiences? A phenomenological interviewing format was used with each participant, where three 60-90 minute interviews were conducted 5-7 days apart. Focusing questions for each interview (respectively) were the research questions. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and coded into categories using constant comparison. Member checking, peer debriefing, and prolonged engagement assured triangulation of the data. Four distinct topics emerged from the interviews with the participants: (a) feelings about being a minority, (b) features of elementary and secondary school experiences, (c) coping strategies, and (d) presence of support systems. Participants' feelings about being a minority varied from those who were proud and vocal to those who did not publicly recognize or acknowledge that participants' feelings about being a minority varied from those who were proud and vocal to those who did not publicly recognize or acknowledge that part of their identity and even suppressed it. Participants' elementary and secondary school experiences were interpreted as feelings of discontinuity among their minority identity and the structure of the dominant society's educational system, to those participants who did not view their school environment as incompatible with who they were as a minority. A collection of coping strategies was identified by participants which helped them survive as a cultural minority in a dominant society. These coping strategies ranged from actions that were culturally introverted to behaviors that were culturally immersive. The presence of support systems was discussed. These were addressed by participants as giving them a sense of belonging and structure to their daily lives. Ultimately, participants identified daily anxieties that European American preservice teachers simply do not face. These included (a) feelings of incompatibility between their teacher education program and their cultural heritage, (b) inability to speak English effectively (ESL), (c) feelings of alienation due to a lack of minority support, and (d) feelings of isolation as the only or one of a few minorities in their program or classes.