Abstract
The term diversity has been a topic of discussion in educational research and has received increased attention in recent years. Often, the focus has been on the use of the term at policy level. In this article, teacher educators’ and school teachers’ perceptions of diversity in education and self-perceived practices of work with diversity are explored. Five teacher educators and 87 school teachers participated in the study. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. The findings indicate that teacher educators and school teachers discuss and reflect on diversity at different levels of operationalization, that they rarely associate socioeconomic and structural issues with the topic of diversity, and that they hardly mention national minorities and the Norwegian indigenous people as part of their understanding and work with diversity. This study suggests stable and long-term arenas for discussion and reflection for both teacher educators and school teachers. Further, the need for a more critical perspective on diversity in education, and an emphasis on learning from historical experiences with education and minorities is needed.
Highlights
The need to address issues of diversity in education has become more important than ever in light of the increased globalization of education and global mobility
All the teacher educators expressed a broad perception of what might be included in the term diversity
When looking more closely at the concrete examples given as illustrative of diversity, the categories mentioned by teacher educators are often connected to multiculturalism: cultural and religious connotations, attitudes and values, ethnicity, language nationality, and socioeconomic differences
Summary
The need to address issues of diversity in education has become more important than ever in light of the increased globalization of education and global mobility. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, we ask how teacher educators and school teachers understand diversity and how they work with diversity in their educational contexts. The discussion will include comparisons of how diversity is perceived and practiced between these two levels of education, using Goodlad’s various levels of curriculum operationalization (Goodlad, 1979). Our aim is to contribute to knowledge of diversity in education. The meanings associated with diversity are important as they affect educational practices. This article explores patterns in the understandings articulated by teacher educators and school teachers to gain insight into how the term diversity is understood by these two important stakeholders
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