Student teachers’ beliefs about diversity: analysing the impact of a ‘diversity week’ during Initial Teacher Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article reports findings from a week of enrichment placements framed around ‘diversity’ within a secondary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme in England. The authors outline the demographics of the county – a largely rural, White county in the East Midlands of England – and describe the challenges this presents for ITE. A mixed-methods approach was used to study student teachers’ (n = 56) beliefs about diversity, generating data through: pre- and post-survey of beliefs and attitudes; student-created reflective videos; journaling; and one pre- and post-diversity week interview. The findings reveal shifts in student teachers’ perceptions about gender, race and sexuality, and these attitudinal shifts were more significant in those attending all week than those attending only the first day. This is particularly interesting because for some topics the only formal input was on the first day, and so the authors argue for the importance of time and space for creative reflection in beginning teachers’ professional development.