African American Preservice Teachers Research Articles

“Losing One African American Preservice Teacher is One Too Many”: A Critical Race Analysis of Support for Praxis Core as African American Students Speak Out

Background/Context Praxis Core, an ETS general knowledge examination, is required for teaching licensure in many states. However, it exists within a history of racist testing from time of the first IQ and SAT tests. Because of Praxis Core, Preservice Teachers of Color are regularly denied entry into the teaching profession, a reality incongruent with the call for a more diverse teaching population. Purpose/Research Question While recognizing the need to eliminate racist gatekeepers to the profession, this study focused on providing Praxis Core support so that no more African American preservice teachers are lost to the test while working to dethrone it. To understand effective support, this study asked: What can we learn through the experiences of 10 African American preservice teachers at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) about characteristics of effective support as they prepare for the Praxis Core examination? Research Design Data were collected and analyzed using qualitative critical race methods and a framework grounded in culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogies. Data included student interviews and questionnaires, lesson plans, and emails among the researchers/instructors and students. Results The study identified characteristics of effective support as grounded instructors’ culturally responsive caring defined by: a commitment to student success and empowering students’ belief in their success; knowing each student well to understand strengths, fears, needs; establishing relationships considered by students to be trusting and comfortable; countering messages of ineptness by teaching students about the racist nature of the test and validating them as knowledgeable and capable; recognizing the linguistic dexterity of African American Language speakers and helping them use their linguistic abilities to conquer the tests; and emancipating students by making them aware of the sociopolitical intent as well as structure of the tests. Conclusions/Recommendations We offer recommendations recognizing that they are merely Band-aids when biased tests play a role in sustaining a predominantly White teaching force. While we work to change that, our study suggests the development of support systems by faculty who (a) do not settle for deflections from the need for this work; (b) can develop relationships deemed comfortable from students’ perspectives; (c) believe and can help students recognize that they are not broken but whole, intelligent, knowledgeable; (d) understand the biased nature of Praxis Core and can help students examine test items and strategize accordingly; and (e) can help students use their cultural and linguistic knowledge and dexterity to beat the testing game.

Loud and Clear: The Importance of Telling the Stories of African American Male Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACTThe shortage of African American male teachers has been a consistent issue in education. However, there is still much to learn about the experiences and perspectives of African American men on the teaching pathway. By placing a spotlight on the complex positioning of African American men in education, this essay expounds on the importance of capturing the stories of African American males enrolled in teacher education programs.

Black on black education 2.0: critical race perspectives on personally engaged pedagogy for/by black pre-service teachers

ABSTRACTPublic schools have increasing numbers of its teachers fitting into one demographic, white and female, while the numbers of Black/African American teachers decrease. This trend has not changed since the publication of Black on Black Education: Personally Engaged Pedagogy for/by African American Pre-Service Teachers. Furthermore, African American collegiate students who decide to enter teaching may face a chilly climate because of their cultural and educational experiences as they encounter devaluation in the classroom. This work provides a critical race reflective examination into the teaching and learning experiences and dilemmasI using personally engaged pedagogy as a means of enhancing the quality of the learning experiences for African American pre-service teachers. Critical race theory (CRT) and Critical Race Feminism (CRF) will be used as the theoretical framework for understanding the role of race and gender in teacher education. Critical autoethnography is the methodological approach used to examine the subject phenomenon. Field notes, research journaling, and student memoirs provide data for this critical autoethnography. This work highlights the significance of CRT/CRF’s unique voice of color and CRF’s multidimensionality to engaged pedagogy, creating a personally engaged pedagogy.

African American pre-service physical education teachers’ learning about aquatic courses

The purpose of this study was to describe how African American pre-service physical education teachers engage themselves in learning aquatic content. This study used a case study design in andragogy theory. Seven participants (four males and three females) had very little experience and/or swimming ability prior to enrolling in the basic aquatic course. In fact, four participants had encountered near-drowning events and consequently experienced a fear of swimming. Data were collected from the participants while they were enrolled in a basic aquatic course and again while they were enrolled in the intermediate aquatic course. The data sources included self-reflective journals, a series of semi-structured face-to-face interviews and e-mail correspondence. The data were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Four significant themes were present: (a) drowning prevention lessons; (b) self-guided learning; (c) independent versus dependent learners; and (d) overcoming racial stereotypes. Based on the pre-service teachers’ interpretations of their aquatic experiences, we suggest physical education teacher education programmes should create learning experiences within aquatic courses that not only enhance future physical education teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, but that also increase their awareness of culturally relevant pedagogy and social justice issues that may be faced when entering the physical education profession.

The Process of Becoming: Identity Development of African American Female Science and Mathematics Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACTA group of 3 African American female preservice science and science teaching students majoring in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) participated in a qualitative research study to share their experiences in STEM, reasons for their choice of major, obstacles and challenges, instances of racism or sexism, and their identity development. The students participated in semistructured, face-to-face interviews. The results showed that the females were not discouraged by their underrepresentation; were confident in their abilities; and expressed wide variation in their identity development related to race, gender, and field of study. Future studies should seek deeper insights into how STEM college student identities are developed and solidified in the predominantly White and male STEM culture.

Shall We Overcome? Self-Efficacy, Teacher Licensure Exams, and African American Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACTThis article reports findings from a 3-year qualitative study exploring the experiences of African American preservice teachers as they prepared for the Praxis “basic skills” teacher-licensure exam, a gatekeeper to many teacher-education programs. Using the construct of self-efficacy, results illustrate how students assess their Praxis capabilities from (a) previous mastery or failure experiences with other standardized tests and classes from college to elementary school and (b) vicarious experiences from African American students, friends, and family members. The article provides recommendations to prepare students for preprofessional examinations such as Praxis that often limit the numbers of African American teachers eligible for certification.

“Slaying Ghosts in the Room”: Identity Contingencies, Teacher Licensure Testing Events, and African American Preservice Teachers

Background In 41 states, students must pass the “basic skills” portion of their licensure exam before they can be admitted into a teacher education program. Because African American test takers are roughly half as likely to pass basic skills exams on their first attempt compared to White test takers, this portion of the licensure exam is a key gatekeeper to the field and directly shapes the racial diversity of the profession. Researchers generally frame this problem in one of two opposing ways: (a) by locating the cause in skill and knowledge deficiencies of test takers or (b) by locating the cause in the cultural bias of standardized test instruments. This study looks beyond these two polarized views to conceptualize the licensure exam as a testing event that includes a nexus of cognitive and affective processes beyond the specific skills the test is designed to measure. Focus of Study The study examined the subjective and social psychological ways African American test takers experience teacher licensure testing events. This study was guided by the following research questions: (a) How do African American preservice teachers experience the licensure testing event? (b) How does race become a salient aspect of the testing event experience for African American preservice teachers? The study drew from the social psychological constructs of identity contingencies and situational cues to analyze students’ experiences in the testing event. Setting and Participants Participants in this study were 22 African American preservice teachers attending a predominantly and historically Black institution in the northeastern United States. Each of the participants took the paper format basic skills exam in either the spring 2009 or spring 2010 national administration. Research Design Drawing from culturally sensitive research practice, this study used a qualitative case study research design to explore test takers’ experiences in the testing event. Findings/Conclusions Findings illustrate how the licensure testing event can become a racialized experience for some participants through (a) interactions with test proctors and site administrators before and during examinations and (b) actions of other test takers that inadvertently signaled racial stereotypes about test preparation, intelligence, and character. Racialized experiences for participants were not based upon any specific test questions or content. Findings are discussed in light of previous research to suggest that these experiences have the capacity to produce a host of cognitive and affective states that undermine performance.

The Experiences of African American Physical Education Teacher Candidates at Secondary Urban Schools

Presently, most physical education teachers in the United States are White Americans and from middle class families. In fact, 83 % of all teachers in public schools are White Americans, whereas approximately 10 % of all African American teachers are representative of all teachers in the United States. A student might feel cultural dissonance that she or he is behaving appropriately based on the student’s cultural norm and upbringing, but the teachers who have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds than the students may inappropriately interpret or respond to the behavior. Therefore, it is important to study African American pre-service physical education teachers’ student teaching and field-based experiences with ethnically diverse adolescence (e.g., African American students), because they have the potential to develop a positive relationship between school support, teacher support, and academic achievement and influence student learning, motivation, and engagement in physical education. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the experiences of African American physical education teacher education (PETE) candidates at secondary urban schools. The research design was explanatory multiple-case study situated in activity theory. Participants were seven African American PETE candidates. The qualitative data sources were interviews, weekly journal reflections, and e-portfolios. The results were (a) navigating power relationships between cooperative teachers and students, (b) a ‘shocking’ experience: Feeling under-prepared, and (c) encountered cultural normalcies and stereotypes in teaching physical education. PETE programs must better prepare teacher candidates for working in urban schools with greater cultural competence and higher self-efficacy.

Being and Becoming a Teacher: How African American and White Preservice Teachers Envision Their Future Roles as Teacher Advocates

This article captures the life histories and professional futures of preservice teachers at three institutions of higher education. In this article, we focus on the experiences and expectations of 4 preservice teachers. We find that, although African American and White preservice teachers both see themselves as advocates for their students, they envision different approaches to advocacy and their agency along racial lines. African American preservice teachers envision advocacy as serving as role models for their future students, while White preservice teachers advocate for their students through their instructional actions in the classroom. This study complicates ideas of race, agency, and teacher advocacy.

Promoting Student Academic Success: Paying Attention To Learning Environmental Factors

Achievement gaps become greater for schools with high-poverty and high-minority school population in the United States in recent years (Dillon, 2005; Lee & Slaughter-Defoe, 2004). The academic success of minority students is important because the nation cannot successfully compete in a global market when a considerable portion of its school population is under-educated. This study examines the academic success of African-American pre-service teachers. Analyzed qualitative data reveals that to promote academic success of minority students, nurturing successful personal factors through supportive learning environments is important. In the light of the study findings, suggestions are provided for teachers to assure student academic success.

African American Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on Urban Education: An Exploration at an HBCU

This paper aims to better understand African American pre-service teachers’ perspectives on urban education. Over a 2-year period, pre-experience and post-experience surveys were conducted at a Historically Black University (HBCU) after pre-service teachers completed an urban education immersion course in order to frame their understanding of perspectives on urban education. Ultimately, the results indicate that the African American pre-service teachers’ perceptions of urban teachers, urban administrators, and a career in urban education were statistically more positive after the immersion course, but their views of urban parents became more negative. These results provide further implications for teacher education programs.

I Feel What He Was Doin’

This study illustrates a set of learning activities designed from two hip-hop aesthetics and explores their use among a classroom of African American preservice teachers who graduated from urban school districts. Based on the two hip-hop aesthetics of kinetic consumption and autonomy/distance, the specific goal of these learning activities is to enable students to respond to justice-oriented teaching and democratic curriculum. Through an ethnographic and grounded theory approach, this study illustrates that these learning activities are useful for these purposes but that they also create potential barriers to student learning.

Becoming Whole: A Letter to a Young, Miseducated Black Teacher

The author uses this conceptual paper to present her personal narrative of transformation from miseducated (schooled) to educated (cultural broker) as a pretext to explore miseducation among young Black teachers. The author’s personal transformation comes in response to the neglect of teacher educators to attend to our few African American preservice teachers. Using a letter format, this paper places a particular focus on African American teachers and teacher educators, who agonize over how to transmit culture when they themselves have been miseducated.

Black on Black Education: Personally Engaged Pedagogy for/by African American Pre-Service Teachers

Public schools have increasing numbers of its teachers fitting into one demographic, white and female, while the numbers of African American teachers decrease (Ladson-Billings, Crossing over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms. San Francisco: Josey-Bass [2001]). Furthermore, African American collegiates who decide to enter teaching may face a chilly climate as a result of their cultural and educational experiences as they encounter devaluation in the classroom (Delpit, Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Class room. New York: The New Press [1995]). As a result, African American pre-service teachers may question the validity of the formal curriculum presented in college as it conflicts with their perceptions of school, thereby, leaving teacher-educators largely responsible for the quality of life and subsequent devotion to profession of these students. Critical autoethnography, using fieldnotes/research journaling, and student memoirs all through a theoretical backdrop of critical race feminism provide a glimpse into the teaching and learning experiences and dilemmas of one African American female teacher educator utilizing what I call personally engaged pedagogy as a means of enhancing the quality of the learning experiences of her African American pre-service teachers.

Teacher Efficacy Ratings by African American and European American Preservice Teachers at a Historically Black University

The purpose of this study was to examine factor structures of a modified form of Gibson and Dembo’s Teacher Efficacy Scale with a combined total of 123 African American and European American preservice teachers at a historically Black university, test for differences between participants on teacher efficacy, and examine relationships among participant characteristics. A principal components analysis with varimax rotation yielded three factors—ability, effort, and environment— with alpha coefficients of .80, .77, .70, and .76 for the total scale. African American participants scored statistically significantly higher than European American participants on the environment factor (t = 2.3,p = .02), but not for ability (t = 1.59,p = .11) or effort (t = –.86,p = .39). Recommendations for further research were also made.

Two Preservice Teachers' Growth in Self-Efficacy While Teaching in an Inner-City School

Jillian and Mia, African-American preservice teachers, experienced culture shock when they student taught in an inner-city school. This was revealed by a qualitative analysis of 4 interviews, 12 written reflections, and 7 transcribed group discussions. Their self-efficacy grew stronger as they interacted with mentoring teachers and students and learned to cope with doubts about their abilities. As they worked through their conflicts, they changed the way they thought about teaching in the inner city and improved their personal and practical knowledge.

Black Self-Love, Language, and the Teacher Education Dilemma

The phenomenon of “cultural denial” and “cultural limbo” among African American preservice teachers with a linguistic allegiance to African American English was investigated. The African American preservice teachers embodied a strong ethos of African American cultural love, which included African American English. Teacher education programs, however, view African American English as unacceptable. Analysis yielded a pattern in which the speaker of African American English felt pressured to repudiate or deny the supportive cultural structures because of the nonstandard English spoken in those domains. The preservice teacher who spoke Standard English felt unable to be identified as fully African American and thus experienced cultural limbo. Survival strategies amid these pressures were explored.