CULTURALLY DIVERSE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF UNDERGRADUATE FACULTY: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY

This qualitative single-site case study explored how undergraduate faculty members engaged culturally diverse students and determined the professional development needs of those faculty members to engage culturally diverse student populations. Exploring culturally sensitive practices will enable faculty members of institutions of higher education (IHEs) to engage diverse student populations. Determining the professional development needs of IHEs faculty members will assist IHEs’professional developers to implement training that will enhance the engagement of culturally diverse student populations. Qualitative data were collected through interviews from five undergraduate education faculty members at an institution of higher education (IHE) in the southeastern region of the United States. A cross-case analysis of the five interviews was conducted, and the interviews were coded and categorized. The findings from the study revealed that utilizing various materials and methods engaged culturally diverse students. Furthermore, the findings described the undergraduate faculty need for formal and informal professional development focused on cultural sensitivity, understanding diverse perspectives, and creating global and lifelong learner mindsets to engage culturally diverse students