Teachers Responding to In/Equities: Motivations, Understandings and Actions

This qualitative study explores the understanding, experiences and responses that fifteen public elementary school teachers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) had regarding in/equities in their schools. Participants included 15 male and female teachers from three large diverse school boards. The study explores the relationship between conceptions, experiences, and actions, using a multi-paper format, bound by an introductory and concluding chapter which introduces the topics explored and provides a summary of findings. The first article uncovers participantsâ reasons for engaging in equity work. The second article describes participantsâ understanding, recognition and actions regarding in/equities in their schools. The third article explores the kinds of things that hinder and support their equity work. Findings illustrate that participants exist on a spectrum with regards to the range and depth of their understanding, experiences, and responses to in/equities. Participant reasons for engaging in equity work included having personally experienced inequities, having witnessed others experiencing inequities, or having learned about inequities in school. Each participant described critical incidents which led them to do equity work, and they addressed the kind of inequity they experienced, witnessed, or learned about in this incident through their equity work. Some participants possessed complex and inherent understanding of in/equities and responded to those they witness in constructive and robust ways. Others had less developed understanding and abilities to recognise in/equity and approached their equity work in less of an in-depth fashion. The most common challenges described by participants were administration and leadership, colleagues, and parents. The most common things participants described as helpful were administration and leadership, resources, and colleagues. Knowledge was a thread which was interwoven through all the findings; knowing oneâ s self; knowing others and coming to understand their experiences or perspectives; knowing the system, how to navigate it and what needed to be done to achieve their goals or target the inequities with which they were concerned; and knowing where to go for support and resources were all important. Findings suggest a need for research and training that is largely not addressed in Ontario around exploring the connection between experiences, conceptions, and practices of educators doing equity work in diverse schools.Ph.D.2017-07-20 00:00:0