Repository | Book | Chapter

In Scotland in the last two decades, there has been a steady increase in the cultural and linguistic diversity of pupil populations. This trend seems likely to continue. It is therefore imperative that teachers develop culturally responsive pedagogies. In this chapter, I draw on selected questionnaire and interview data from a study that investigated the attitudes of a cohort of Scottish student-teachers towards culturally diverse classrooms and their perceptions of their readiness to teach in such contexts. The findings suggest there are significant gaps in the student-teachers' knowledge about culturally diverse pupils. Of greater importance however, is their lack of awareness of their own enculturation and how their professional values and beliefs reflect their membership of the dominant white majority. I conclude by suggesting there is a need for a teacher education that is critical in its orientation, and enables prospective teachers to disrupt the values and practices that are rooted in the discourses of dominant culture. I also raise for consideration the importance of changing the cultural and ethnic profile of those who teach the teachers.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-54389-5_9

Full citation: