Teaching Diversity for Adaptation and Change: A Case Study
2020
Abstract
Preparing teachers and leaders to become culturally competent has become a global concern and a priority. To date, there has been little research conducted among school leaders regarding how new diversity knowledge is transferred to schools. Therefore, the purpose of the present qualitative study is to explore the extent to which future educational leaders enrolled in a graduate course regarding diversity are able to transfer the newly acquired knowledge to their professional lives and to understand what hinders and enhances their transfer of knowledge. Using the multidimensional model of learning transfer as a theoretical framework and analyzing the findings, I suggest that participants of this present study were able to use new diversity knowledge in their personal and professional lives. Further analysis identified enhancers and inhibitors to the transfer of such diversity knowledge. Based on the present study’s findings, I provide recommendations for practice and research relate...
References (55)
- Allen, J. D., & Porter, O. F. (2002). Teaching about diversity issues. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 38, 128-133.
- Andrews, M. L., & Ridenour, C. S. (2006). Gender in schools: A qualitative study of students in educational administration. The Journal of Educational Research, 100, 35-43.
- Baldwin, T. T., & Ford, J. K. (1988). Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 41, 63-105.
- Baldwin, T. T., Magjuka, R. J., & Loher, B. T. (1991). The perils of participation: Effects of choice of training on trainee motivation and learning. Personnel psychology, 44, 51-65.
- Brion, C. (2019). Keeping the learning going: Using mobile technology to enhance learning transfer. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 18, 225-240.
- Brion, C., & Cordeiro, P. A. (2018). Learning transfer: The missing link to learning among school leaders in Burkina Faso and Ghana. Frontiers in Education, 2, 1-12.
- Broad, M. L. (1997). Transferring learning in the workplace: Seventeen case studies from the real world of training. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training and Development.
- Broad, M. L., & Newstrom, J. W. (1992). Transfer of training: Action-packed strategies to ensure high payoff from training investments. Boston, MA: Da Capo Press.
- Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2003) Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership, 60, 40-45.
- Caffarella, R. S. (2002). Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers, and staff developers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
- Cardona-Moltó, M. C., Tichá, R., & Abery, B. (2018). Education for diversity in initial teacher preparation programmes: A comparative international study. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 14, 79-95.
- Chenail, R. J. (2012). Conducting qualitative data analysis: Managing dynamic tensions within. The Qualitative Report, 17, 1-6.
- Curry, D., Caplan, P., & Knuppel, J. (1994). Transfer of training and adult learning. Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 6, 8-14.
- Debebe, G. (2011). Creating a safe environment for women's leadership transformation. Journal of Management Education, 35, 679-712.
- DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
- Dogra, N., Bhatti, F., Ertubey, C., Kelly, M., Rowlands, A., Singh, D., & Turner, M. (2016). Teaching diversity to medical undergraduates: curriculum development, delivery and assessment. Medical Teacher, 38, 323-337.
- Facteau, J. D., Dobbins, G. H., Russell, J. E., Ladd, R. T., & Kudisch, J. D. (1995). The influence of general perceptions of the training environment on pretraining motivation and perceived training transfer. Journal of Management, 21, 1-25.
- Foley, J. M., & Kaiser, L. M. R. (2013). Learning transfer and its intentionality in adult and continuing education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 137, 5-15.
- Ford, J. K. (1994). Defining transfer of learning: The meaning is in the answers. Adult Learning, 5, 22-30.
- Furman, N., & Sibthorp, J. (2013). Leveraging experiential learning techniques for transfer. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 137, 17-26.
- Gayles, J. G., Kelly, B. T., Grays, S., Zhang, J. J., & Porter, K. P. (2015). Faculty teaching diversity through difficult dialogues: Stories of challenges and success. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 52, 300-312.
- Grissom, J. A., & Harrington, J. R. (2010). Investing in administrator efficacy: An examination of professional development as a tool for enhancing principal effectiveness. American Journal of Education, 116, 583-612.
- Hess, F. M. (2013). Cage-busting leadership. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
- Hofstede, G., Hofstede G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3 rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
- Hung, W. (2013). Problem-based learning: A learning environment for enhancing learning transfer. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 137, 27-38.
- Illeris, K. (2009). Transfer of learning in the learning society: How can the barriers between different learning spaces be surmounted, and how can the gap between learning inside and outside schools be bridged? International Journal of Lifelong Education, 28, 137- 148.
- Ingram, I. L., & Walters, T. S. (2007). A critical reflection model to teach diversity and social justice. Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education, 2, 23-41.
- Jett, C. C., & Cross, S. B. (2016). Teaching about diversity in black and white: Reflections and recommendations from two teacher educators. The New Educator, 12, 131-146.
- Knowles, M. (1980). My farewell address . . . Andragogy no panacea, no ideology. Training and Development Journal, 34, 48-50.
- Laubscher, L., & Powell, S. (2003). Skinning the drum: Teaching about diversity as "other." Harvard Educational Review, 73, 203-224.
- Leithwood, K., Louis, K. S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2004). How leadership influences student learning: Review of research. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.
- Lightner, R., Benander, R., & Kramer, E. F. (2008). Faculty and student attitudes about transfer of learning. Insight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 3, 58-66.
- Lindsey, R. B., Nuri Robins, K., Terrell, R. D., & Lindsey, D. B. (2018). Cultural proficiency: A manual for school leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
- Locke, D. C., & Kiselica, M. S. (1999). Pedagogy of possibilities: Teaching about racism in multicultural counseling courses. Journal of Counseling & Development, 77, 80-86.
- Marbley, A., Burley, H., Bonner, F. A., II, & Ross, W. (2009). Teaching diversity across disciplines: Reflections from African American faculty in four different academic settings. The Educational Forum, 74, 63-80.
- McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women's studies (Working Paper 189, pp. 1-20). Wellesley, MA: Wellesley Center for Research on Women.
- Mero-Jaffe, I. (2011). 'Is that what I said?' Interview transcript approval by participants: An aspect of ethics in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10, 231-247.
- Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
- Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative interviewing. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods, 3, 344-347.
- Phillips, T. N., & Wood, L. I. (2017). Teaching diversity through case competition. Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 13, 25-31.
- Purkey, W. W., & Novak, J. M. (2015). An introduction to invitational theory. International Alliance for Invitational Education. Retrieved from https://www.invitationaleducation.org/wp- content/uploads/2019/04/art_intro_to_invitational_theory-1.pdf.
- Rodgers, B. (2008). Audit trail. In L. Given (Ed.), The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (Vol. 1, pp. 43-44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Rouiller, J. Z., & Goldstein, I. L. (1993). The relationship between organizational transfer climate and positive transfer of training. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 4, 377-390.
- Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Singleton, G. E. (2015). Courageous conversations about race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.
- Steinkopf Rice, J., & Horn, T. (2014). Teaching diversity through service-learning: An integrative praxis pedagogical approach. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25, 139-157.
- Taylor, M. C. (2000). Transfer of learning in workplace literacy programs. Adult Basic Education, 10, 3-20.
- Teaching Tolerance. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/spring-2020.
- Thomas, E. (2007). Thoughtful planning fosters learning transfer. Adult Learning, 18, 4-9. TEACHING DIVERSITY FOR ADAPTATION AND CHANGE 37
- United Nations. (2016). Sustainable development goals. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/#.
- Wang, L., & Wentling, T. L. (2001, February 28-March 4). The relationship between distance coaching and the transfer of training. Proceedings from the Academy of Human Resource Development Conference, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Williams, T., & Green, A. (1994). Dealing with difference: How trainers can take account of cultural diversity. Brookfield, VT: Gower Publishing.
- Yang, B., Wang, Y., & Drewry, A. W. (2009). Does it matter where to conduct training? Accounting for cultural factors. Human Resource Management Review, 19, 324-333.
- Yelon, S. L., Ford, J. K., & Golden, S. (2013). Transfer over time: Stories about transfer years after training. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 25, 43-66.
- Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.