Early childhood teacher identity development for working with culturally and linguistically diverse students in Chile

Abstract

This study investigates how three recently graduated early childhood educators in Chile construct teacher identities related to working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. This multiple case study analyzes written narratives and interviews. Findings show that participants construct teacher identities that position them as advocates for CLD students, grounded on their personal identities and previous experiences, and expanded during the teacher education program. In this article, I argue that whereas participants constructed an identity for working with CLD students despite having graduated from a program that did not include those contents, the development of pedagogical skills is still needed.