Effects of Teacher Preparation Experiences and Students' Perceptions Related to Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Practices

Abstract

A case study of 23 university students in an early childhood education course on cultural diversity was conducted. The study inquired into how a teacher preparation course can be structured to prepare prospective and beginning teachers to develop their awareness and understanding of cultural diversity issues and raise their competencies in working effectively with minority students and their families. The Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Practices (DCAP) Teacher Preparation Model developed by Hyun (1996) and derived from the notions of multicultural education, culturally congruent critical pedagogy, and anti-bias education was implemented in the course. Pre and post surveys and students' reflections were analyzed. The data results indicated that students perceived that they had made gains in their understanding of cultural diversity issues and were affected positively through their teacher preparation experiences.