Preparing for Multiculturalism: an Analysis of the Perceived Preparedness of Pre-service and Newly Qualified Teachers for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

Teachers strive to ensure that all the students in their classroom have the necessary tools to succeed both academically and personally. Although this is the reality for many students, there are still far too many students who do not experience the same benefits, and many of them come from marginalized groups. This study aims to examine the levels of preparedness of current pre-service teachers for teaching in the emerging culturally diverse classroom. Attempting a mixed method approach the researcher will collect and analyze survey response data and individual interview transcripts from undergraduate seniors during their student teaching experience. The responses of the surveys and interviews will give more insight into the level of preparedness are preservice teachers and what areas of multicultural education need more attention. This research can also give pre-service teachers and teacher educators the opportunity to reflect on current understanding and experiences of multiculturalism to develop skills needed for culturally relevant teaching