If they come, we should listen: African American education majors’ perceptions of a predominantly white university experience

Abstract

The recruitment and retention of minority students in teacher education programs has received the attention of schools of education. For those minority students who choose to pursue a career in teaching and decide to attend a predominantly white university, their experience must be appreciated for the challenges it presents. This study was undertaken to listen to the voices of African American education majors enrolled in a teacher education program at a predominantly white university in the United States to understand how their experience might affect their perceptions of teaching and behaviors as future teachers. Understanding how their experience has affected their perceptions of this particular educational setting might better inform the faculty who teach them how they can better serve this growing population.