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[Hibbs, B. Developing pre-service teachers’ beliefs about cultural diversity through multicultural
children’s literature. In J. McLaughlin (Ed.), Literary imagination and professional knowledge:
Using literature in teacher education (pp. 143-161). Myers Education Press.]
Developing Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs about Cultural Diversity through Multicultural
Children’s Literature
Introduction
According to Alred, Byram, & Fleming (2002), being intercultural involves “the awareness
of experiencing otherness and the ability to analyze the experience and act upon the insights into
self and other which the analysis brings” (4). This definition identifies several important steps in
the process of becoming intercultural. First, students need to be immersed in a situation in which
they come into contact with some cultural variable that is not part of their own cultural/linguistic
background. Second, students need to be provided with opportunities to try and make sense of
the situation and consider what the situation has taught them about others’ cultural identities as
well as their own. The reflective portion of this process is essential to deepen students’ evolving
understanding of other cultures; mere exposure to other cultures is not sufficient. This chapter
explores a research study which exposed pre-education students to numerous sociocultural
variables through the reading and analysis of multicultural children’s literature and provided
opportunities for students to reflect on how these books contributed to their developing
awareness of the role these sociocultural factors play in education.
Literature Review
Numerous scholars have identified a variety of ways to promote education students’
intercultural competence. For example, Burton (2011) describes a collaboration on a year-long
music education course between students and instructors from the United States and Sweden.
The fall semester of the course included several synchronous virtual conferences between both
groups, and the spring semester included two ten-day immersion experiences, one for the
students from the United States to travel to Sweden, and the second for the students from
Sweden to travel to the United States. Students’ journal entries revealed that they noticed
important similarities and significant differences between both cultures and thus were able to
adopt multicultural perspectives regarding these phenomena.
Reidel & Draper (2013) outline the incorporation of an interdisciplinary unit in a social
studies methods course for pre-service teachers designed to enlarge their understanding and
appreciation of Indian and South Asian cultures. To this end, students reflected on their
background knowledge and experiences concerning India, read and responded to a children’s
book on India, engaged in a museum exhibit consisting of various cultural artifacts from India,
and reflected on how their perspective on Indian culture had changed through their participation
in these activities. To move beyond the superficial level of cultural analysis, students then
viewed the film Going to school in India and discussed the similarities and differences between
the education systems in the United States and India.
Finally, Siwatu (2011) describes a research study intended to identify pre-service
teachers’ perceptions concerning the contribution of a university teacher education program to
their views on culturally responsive teaching. The study measured 192 pre-service teachers’
beliefs concerning culturally responsive teaching via the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-
Efficacy (CRTSE) scale followed by semi-structured face-to-face interviews with eight of these
teachers in order to collect information regarding the influences of the teacher education program
they were enrolled in on their perspectives regarding culturally responsive teaching. Participants
indicated that they were exposed to culturally responsive teaching in some of their coursework
and believed that these experiences were valuable to their ongoing development as future
teachers. However, many of the participants noted that these experiences were often disparate in
nature and, if they were included, consisted mainly of class discussions and demonstrations with
few opportunities for them to incorporate such practices in their own teaching contexts.
Other researchers have explored the contribution that literary texts can make in the
development of students’ intercultural competence. For example, Short (2011) argues that,
despite the globalization of our modern world, many students “are ignorant of world cultures,
international issues, and foreign languages” (p. 130) and that the knowledge of those students
who are cognizant of other cultures is often superficial and grounded in stereotypical views of
these cultures. Short proposes that literature is one way to overcome these deficiencies in cultural
learning in several ways. Firstly, literature allows students to move beyond a superficial view of
other cultures towards understanding other cultures at a deeper level. Secondly, by immersing
themselves in the story worlds found in literature, readers are able to learn about how people of
other cultures live, think and feel; as a result, students develop more empathy and understanding
towards these cultures. Thirdly, literature gives students opportunities to see similarities they
share with other cultures while also valuing the unique differences of each culture. Fourthly,
literature helps students not only learn about other cultures but also learn about their own culture
as well. In sum, literature “provides a means of building bridges of understanding across
countries and cultures” (p. 131). Short (2012) indicates that literature promotes intercultural
understanding because readers enter the story worlds of the books they read and experience first-
hand the characters’ life experiences. Thus, students are immersed in “cultural input” in the same
way that children are exposed to linguistic input; consequently, by reading literary texts, students
can acquire both cultural and linguistic input. Students’ comments suggest that the children’s
books provided them with cultural input by immersing them in the story worlds of the books and
that, as a result, students learned about Latino culture in a deep and profound way.
Matos (2005) suggests that reading literature can facilitate the development of one’s
intercultural competence since literature “has the value of mobilizing a critical awareness of self
and other” (p. 68). Literature allows readers to inhabit other worlds and move constantly between
their individual perspectives and social perspectives of cultural phenomena so that they are able
to see the world from different perspectives. Building off Kramsch’s (2009/2011) notion of third
space, Matos argues that texts contain “touchpoints” or unclear and ambiguous moments which
“offer a pretext for reflection on the intercultural (dis)encounters portrayed [in texts] and the
[dialectical] struggle that they prefigure” (p. 63). In other words, these textual touchpoints allow
readers to see how characters negotiate different cultural worlds which then serve as models for
readers’ own cultural negotiations. Lütge (2013) concurs, noting that such texts encourage
readers to put themselves in the position of others and see the world from their eyes and that
children’s literature “offers a fascinating platform for exploring questions of identity, values and
worldviews, the basic ingredients for intercultural learning” (p. 104). Lütge (2013) also contends
that an important step in reading multicultural texts is the analysis of one’s personal response to
the text, which can lead to a reflective examination of their own cultural identity: “aesthetic
reading has a strong bearing on the development of identity formation processes that relate the
student’s ‘self’ with potential ‘others’ through literary encounters” (p. 98).
The current study brings these two perspectives together in that multicultural children’s
literature is used as a vehicle to expose pre-education students to a variety of sociocultural
variables they may (not) be familiar with and provide opportunities for them to consider the
extent to which these books contributed (or not) to their developing understanding and
appreciation of others whose cultural identities may be different from their own.
Theoretical Framework
One valuable way to promote students’ evolving awareness the multicultural nature of the
world around them is the framework adopted by Mansilla & Jackson (2011) (see below). The
framework outlines four steps to help students better understand issues and problems in their
community and/or the world. In the first step, “Investigate the World”, students pinpoint and
gather information about a given question or dilemma of significance to them and/or their
community. In the second step, “Recognize Perspectives”, students become aware of the fact that
there are multiple ways to make sense of a given situation and that one perspective is not
inherently superior or inferior to another. In the third step, “Communicate Ideas”, students share
the information they’ve gathered and what they have learned about the question or dilemma with
others. In the final step, “Take Action”, students apply their learning in an attempt to implement
an authentic and real-world solution to the question or dilemma they investigated. This study
focused on the first two steps of the framework in that the children’s books contributed to their
awareness of the role various sociocultural factors play in education while also learning to
understand a variety of viewpoints others may have regarding these sociocultural factors.
Figure 1: Understand the World through Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Study (Mansilla &
Jackson, 2011)
Research Question
The research question that this study attempted to address is: In what ways can
multicultural children’s literature contribute to pre-education students’ personal and professional
beliefs about sociocultural diversity in education?
Research Context
This study was conducted during the spring semester of 2019 in a small four-year
institution of higher education in the southeastern United States. The study was conducted as part
of a 2000-level course on multicultural education for pre-education majors; Twenty-seven
students in the course (seventeen females and ten males) ultimately consented to participate in
the study.
The textbook that was used in the course was Gollnick and Chen (2016). The textbook is
organized into eleven chapters with nine of these chapters focusing on a specific sociocultural
variable (race and ethnicity, class and socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation,
exceptionality, language, religion, geography, the youth culture) with the introductory and
concluding chapters centering on multicultural education in general. The class met twice per
week for seventy-five minutes per session. Both sessions in a given week were dedicated to a
specific chapter from the Gollnick and Chen (2016) textbook. During the first session of the
week, students discussed the chapter from the textbook, and during the second session, students
read a discussed one or more multicultural children’s books aligned with the theme of the
chapter the class was exploring that week. See Table 1 for a list of sample books that were used
for each chapter/sociocultural variable.
Table 1
A List of Sample Books for Each Sociocultural Variable
Sociocultural Variable
Sample Book
Race & Ethnicity
Alko & Qualls (2015)
Class & Socioeconomic Status
Boelts & Jones (2009)
Gender
Schwartz & Santat (2014)
Sexual Orientation
Ewert & Ray (2008)
Exceptionality
Peete (2010)
Language
Tonatiuh (2010)
Religion
Buller (2005)
Geography
Castillo (2014)
The Youth Culture
Langston-George & Bock (2014)
In order to prepare students to read the multicultural children’s texts later in the semester,
we began by reading My name is Maria Isabel (Ada & Thompson, 1995). The book describes the
life experiences of María Isabel Salazar López, a nine-year-old girl from Puerto Rico who
emigrates to the United States with her family. On her first day in her new school, she introduces
herself to her new teacher, who proceeds to tell her that, since there are already several girls
named Maria in the class, her name will be changed to Mary. This begins the trajectory of María
Isabel simultaneously discovering her Puerto Rican ancestry through her names while also
negotiating her cultural identity in a new country. This book was chosen as it highlights the
importance of fighting against those in authority who advocate for assimilation to mainstream
American culture while also helping students better understand the importance of appreciating
and valuing their future students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Students participated in a variety of reader response activities while reading the book. In
some cases, as I read the book aloud, students completed a Graffiti Board (Short & Harste, 1996,
pp. 379-386) which allowed them to document their initial feelings, impressions, connections,
etc. about the text by representing their thoughts through single words, complete sentences,
pictures, and/or any form(s) they felt best showed their thinking processes. After they finished
their Graffiti Boards, they turned and shared their Graffiti Boards with a partner explaining what
the drawing, words, etc. on their board represented. Below is an example of a student’s Graffiti
Board as the student listened to chapter of My name is Maria Isabel (Ada & Thompson, 1995):
Figure 2: Student’s Graffiti Board in Response to Chapter 1 of My name is Maria Isabel
In other cases, students were randomly separated into groups and read a different
children’s book on the sociocultural variable we were examining that week. In groups, students
read their group’s book and completed a book xxx on which they provided a summary of the
book, their group’s response to the book, what they learned about the sociocultural variable by
reading the book, and whether they would (not) use the book with their future students and why.
Below is the response sheet that groups completed as they read their group’s book:
Figure 3: Sample Book Response Sheet
Data Collection
Data for the study was collected via two questionnaires, a pre-questionnaire at the
beginning of the semester before students began reading the children’s books and a post-
questionnaire at the end of the semester after students had read the children’s books (see
Appendices #1 and #2). Both questionnaires collected quantitative and qualitative data on
students’ perceptions of the contribution of the children’s books to their emerging/developing
personal and professional beliefs concerning cultural diversity. The quantitative section of both
questionnaires contained statements taken directly from the Personal Beliefs about Diversity
Scale and the Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale (Pohan & Aguilar, 2001). The Personal
Beliefs about Diversity Scale consists of fifteen statements intended to measure participants’
individual attitudes towards cultural diversity, and the Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale
consists of twenty-five statements intended to measure participants’ views towards cultural
diversity in educational settings. For this study, all of the statements from both scales were
included on both questionnaires, but the scales were tweaked slightly to allow students to
respond to each statement via Likert scales. On the questionnaires, students read each statement
and indicated the extent to which they agreed with statement, from “1” (“strongly disagree”) to
“5” (‘strongly agree”). The qualitative section of both questionnaires asked students to indicate
their perceptions of multicultural children’s books. On the first questionnaire, students were
asked to identify any books they previously read that contained multicultural characters that were
similar to and/or different from their own and the relevancy of these books to their understanding
of cultural diversity. On the second questionnaire, students were asked to identify any positive
and/or negative experiences they had reading the children’s books and the extent to which these
books did (not) contribution to their beliefs concerning sociocultural diversity in education.
Although both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for the study, this chapter
will focus on an exploration of the quantitative data obtained from the questionnaires.
Data Analysis
The quantitative data for the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Students’
responses to each statement on each questionnaire were identified with the number of times
students responded to a given number in the Likert scale being subsequently tabulated and
averaged against the total number of participants, thus arriving at a percentage. These
percentages were then compared across both questionnaires to determine whether students’
personal and professional beliefs concerning cultural diversity had shifted during the course of
the semester.
Findings
The tables below summarize the average students’ responses to each statement on the
Personal Beliefs about Diversity Scale and the Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale across
both questionnaires, from “1” (“strongly disagree”) to “5” (‘strongly agree”). See the Appendix
for the actual items (statements) from the questionnaires.
Table 2: Students’ Responses on the Personal Beliefs About Diversity Scale
Statement #
Questionnaire #1
Questionnaire #2
1
4.56
4.93
2
2.96
2.41
3
1.26
1.11
4
4.11
3.96
5
2.74
2.00
6
2.56
2.56
7
4.44
4.82
8
1.62
1.52
9
1.93
2.04
10
2.81
2.93
11
1.44
1.37
12
3.56
4.04
13
2.70
2.04
14
3.30
2.89
15
1.48
1.56
Table 3: Students’ Responses on the Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale
Statement #
Questionnaire #1
Questionnaire #2
1
1.26
1.22
2
3.26
3.22
3
1.67
1.59
4
4.59
4.63
5
1.63
1.56
6
4.15
4.52
7
1.59
1.44
8
2.82
2.41
9
3.67
3.26
10
3.04
3.11
11
3.85
4.07
12
3.19
3.22
13
2.67
2.70
14
3.52
4.00
15
3.59
3.56
16
3.78
3.89
17
3.59
3.52
18
2.48
2.00
19
3.44
3.78
20
2.56
3.30
21
4.44
4.63
22
3.67
4.00
23
1.96
1.78
24
4.22
4.26
25
2.15
2.30
Comparing students’ responses on both scales across both questionnaires yields some
interesting findings. When investigating students’ pre-questionnaire (Questionnaire #1) and post-
questionnaire (Questionnaire #2) responses, in most cases, results show that students overall
tended to have a more positive outlook regarding issues of sociocultural diversity. In some cases,
students tended to agree less and disagree more with statements that did not view cultural
diversity in a positive light. For example, on the Personal Beliefs about Diversity Scale, it can be
noted that, regarding Statement #2 (“America’s immigrant and refugee policy has led to the
deterioration of America”), the average rating was 2.96 on Questionnaire #1 but was 2.41 on
Questionnaire #2, indicating that students disagreed substantially less with this statement at the
end of the semester than at the beginning of the semester. In regards to Statement #5 (“It is not a
good idea for same-sex couples to raise children”), the average rating was 2.74 on Questionnaire
#1 but was 2.00 on Questionnaire #2, signaling that students were much less in agreement with
this statement at the end of the semester than at the beginning of the semester. On the
Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale, with respect to Statement #8 (“The attention girls
receive in school is comparable to the attention boys receive”), the average rating was 2.82 on
Questionnaire #1 but was 2.41 on Questionnaire #2, signaling that students were much less in
agreement with this statement at the end of the semester than at the beginning of the semester.
In other cases, students tended to agree more and disagree less with statements that did
view cultural diversity in a positive light. For example, on the Personal Beliefs about Diversity
Scale, it can be noted that, regarding Statement #12 (“It is a good idea for people to develop
meaningful relationships with others having a different sexual orientation”), the average rating
was 3.56 on Questionnaire #1 but was 4.04 on Questionnaire #2, indicating that students agreed
substantially more with this statement at the end of the semester than at the beginning of the
semester. On the Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale, in regards to to Statement #6 (“All
students should be encouraged to become fluent in a second language”), the average rating was
4.15 on Questionnaire #1 but was 4.52 on Questionnaire #2, signaling that students were much
more in agreement with this statement at the end of the semester than at the beginning of the
semester. With respect to Statement #14 (“Students living in racially isolated neighborhoods can
benefit socially from participating in racially integrated neighborhoods”), the average rating was
3.52 on Questionnaire #1 but was 4.00 on Questionnaire #2, signaling that students were much
less in agreement with this statement at the end of the semester than at the beginning of the
semester.
Results also demonstrate that, in yet other cases, students’ perceptions on sociocultural
diversity varied little if at all over the course of the semester. For example, on the Personal
Beliefs about Diversity Scale, it can be noted that, regarding Statement #6 (“The reason people
live in poverty is that they lack motivation to get themselves out of poverty”), the average rating
was exactly the same on both questionnaires (2.56), indicating that students’ perspectives on this
statement did not vary at all during the course of the semester. With respect to Statement #15
(“Historically, education has been monocultural, reflecting only one reality and has been biased
towards the dominant (European) group”), the average rating was 3.59 on Questionnaire #1 but
was 3.56 on Questionnaire #2, signaling that students’ attitudes changed changed very little on
this statement during the course of the semester.
Analysis of the results of both questionnaires show that, in general, students’ personal
and professional beliefs concerning sociocultural diversity tended to improve over the course of
the semester, particularly regarding race and ethnicity, class and socioeconomic status, gender,
sexual orientation, and language, in addition to other areas related to education, such as
immigration and standardized testing. In other areas, students’ views tended to change little if at
all over the course of the semester, such as exceptionality and religion, and also in the
educational areas of differentiation and the Western orientational bias of the American education
system. Interestingly, in regards to class and socioeconomic status and gender, in some instances,
students’ viewpoints changed substantially over the course of the semester and yet, at other
times, students’ opinions changed little if at all. This may have been due to the wording of the
statements; students may have felt that, in specific cases, certain statements may have been seen
as more “radical” or inflammatory in nature than others.
Since the institution where the study took place is located in the southeastern United
States, and since the institution is relatively small in nature (less than 5,000 students), students
regularly come from a lower-middle class and monolingual background, are often politically
conservative, commonly subscribe to Christianity, and tend to have had little previous contact
with others whose upbringing differ from their own. Consequently, one possible explanation for
these results may be due to the fact that, overall, students seemed to be willing to change their
views regarding statements that more closely aligned with their own cultural/linguistic
backgrounds and tended to be less willing to alter their perspectives in relation to statements that
did not match their own cultural/linguistic backgrounds.
Several cautionary notes should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results
of this study. Firstly, since this study took place with a small of participants in one institution of
higher education in a specific geographical area, readers should remember this when
extrapolating the results of this study to their own contexts. Secondly, the Personal Beliefs about
Diversity Scale and the Professional Beliefs about Diversity Scale (Pohan & Aguilar, 2001) were
used to collect data for the study, and the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics; it is conceivable that the findings of the study may have been different if another
cultural diversity and/or other statistical procedures were used to analyze the data. Thirdly, since
students read the course textbook (Gollnick & Chen, 2016) and participated in other activities
during the course of the semester, it is conceivable that students’ evolving views regarding
sociocultural diversity were due to influences beyond the multicultural children’s books.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which multicultural children’s
books would contribute positively to pre-education majors’ views regarding sociocultural
diversity in an effort to prepare them for the multicultural and multilingual instructional
environments in which they will find themselves as future teachers. Analysis of the quantitative
results obtained during the study tended to demonstrate that the books did contribute to their
developing understanding and appreciation of sociocultural diversity in educational settings.
Pohen & Aguilar (2001) contend that, “teacher educators nationwide have long been asking the
question: How do we best help future and current teachers acquire the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that would result in culturally responsive teaching?” (p.160). This study represents one
possible avenue educator preparation program might consider in helping pre-service teachers
accomplish this lofty but worthwhile goal.
References
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Books for Young Readers.
Alko, S., & Qualls, S. (2015). The case for loving: The fight for interracial marriage. New York,
NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.
Alred, G., Byram, M., & Fleming, M. (2002). Intercultural experience and education. Bristol,
UK: Multilingual Matters.
Boelts, M., & Jones, N. Z. (2009). Those shoes. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Buller, L. (2005). A faith like mine: A celebration of the world’s religions through the eyes of
children. New York, NY: DK Publishers.
Burton, S. L. (2011). Perspective consciousness and cultural relevancy: Partnership
considerations for the re-conceptualization of music teacher preparation. Arts Education
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Castillo, L. (2014). Nana in the city. Boston, MA: Clarion Books.
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APPENDIX #1: QUESTIONNAIRE #1 (PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE)
Your Birth Date: _______________________________________________________________
The Last Four Digits Of Your SSN: ______________________________________________
Part A (Personal Beliefs About Diversity Scale). Please indicate the level of your agreement with each
statement below by checking the box that matches your level of agreement with the statement.
1 - Strongly Disagree
2 - Somewhat Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Somewhat Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
Statement
1
2
3
4
5
1. There is nothing wrong with people from different racial backgrounds
having/raising children.
2. America’s immigrant and refugee policy has led to the deterioration of
America.
3. Making all public facilities accessible to the disabled is simply too
costly.
4. Accepting many different ways of life in America will strengthen us as
a nation.
5. It is not a good idea for same-sex couples to raise children.
6. The reason people live in poverty is that they lack motivation to get
themselves out of poverty.
7. People should develop meaningful relationships with others from
different racial/ethnic groups.
8. People with physical limitations are less effective as leaders than
people without physical limitation.
9. In general, White people place a higher value on education than do
people of color.
10. Many women in our society continue to live in poverty because
males still dominate most of the major social systems in America.
11. Since men are frequently the heads of households, they deserve
higher wages than females.
12. It is a good idea for people to develop meaningful relationships with
others having a different sexual orientation.
13. Society should not become more accepting of gay/lesbian lifestyles.
14. It is more important for immigrants to learn English than to maintain
their first language.
15. In general, men make better leaders than women.
Part B (Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale). Please indicate the level of your agreement with
each statement below by checking the box that matches your level of agreement with the statement.
1 - Strongly Disagree
2 - Somewhat Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Somewhat Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
Statement
1
2
3
4
5
1. Teachers should not be expected to adjust their preferred mode of
instruction to accommodate the needs of all students.
2. The traditional classroom has been set up to support the middle-class
lifestyle.
3. Gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools.
4. Students and teachers would benefit from having a basic
understanding of different (diverse) religions.
5. Money spent to educate the severly disabled would be better spent on
programs for gifted students.
6. All students should be encouraged to become fluent in a second
language.
7. Only schools serving students of color need a racially, ethnically, and
culturally diverse staff and faculty.
8. The attention girls receive in school is comparable to the attention
boys receive.
9. Tests, particularly standardized tests, have frequently been used as a
basis for segregating students.
10. People of color are adequately represented in most textbooks today.
11. Students with physical limitations should be placed in the regular
classroom whenever possible.
12. Males are given more opportunities in math and science than
females.
13. Generally, teachers should group students by ability levels.
14. Students living in racially isolated neighborhoods can benefit socially
from participating in racially integrated neighborhoods.
15. Historically, education has been monocultural, reflecting only one
reality and has been biased towards the dominant (European) group.
16. Whenever possible, second language learners should receive
instruction in their first language until they are proficient enough to learn
via English instruction.
17. Teachers often expect less from students from the lower
socioeconomic class.
18. Multicultural education is most beneficial for students of color.
19. More women are needed in administrative positions in schools.
20. Large numbers of students of color are improperly placed in special
education classes by school personnel.
21. In order to be effective with all students, teachers should have
experience working with students from diverse racial and ethnic
backgrounds.
22. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds typically have
fewer educational opportunities than their middle-class peers.
23. Students should not be allowed to speak a language other than
English while in school.
24. It is important to consider religious diversity in setting public school
policy.
25. Multicultural education is less important than reading, writing,
arithmetic, and computer literacy.
Part C (Free Responses). Please respond to each question below.
1. Which children’s/adolescent books have you read which included characters from cultural
backgrounds that were similar to your own? What were the names of these books? What was the
cultural background of the characters? How did these books contribute to your understanding of
your own culture?
2. Which children’s/adolescent books have you read which included characters from cultural
backgrounds that were different from your own? What were the names of these books? What
was the cultural background of the characters? How did these books contribute to your
understanding of other cultures?
APPENDIX #2: QUESTIONNAIRE #2 (PRE-QUESTIONNAIRE)
Your Birth Date: _______________________________________________________________
The Last Four Digits Of Your SSN: ______________________________________________
Part A (Personal Beliefs About Diversity Scale). Please indicate the level of your agreement with each
statement below by checking the box that matches your level of agreement with the statement.
1 - Strongly Disagree
2 - Somewhat Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Somewhat Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
Statement
1
2
3
4
5
1. There is nothing wrong with people from different racial backgrounds
having/raising children.
2. America’s immigrant and refugee policy has led to the deterioration of
America.
3. Making all public facilities accessible to the disabled is simply too
costly.
4. Accepting many different ways of life in America will strengthen us as
a nation.
5. It is not a good idea for same-sex couples to raise children.
6. The reason people live in poverty is that they lack motivation to get
themselves out of poverty.
7. People should develop meaningful relationships with others from
different racial/ethnic groups.
8. People with physical limitations are less effective as leaders than
people without physical limitation.
9. In general, White people place a higher value on education than do
people of color.
10. Many women in our society continue to live in poverty because
males still dominate most of the major social systems in America.
11. Since men are frequently the heads of households, they deserve
higher wages than females.
12. It is a good idea for people to develop meaningful relationships with
others having a different sexual orientation.
13. Society should not become more accepting of gay/lesbian lifestyles.
14. It is more important for immigrants to learn English than to maintain
their first language.
15. In general, men make better leaders than women.
Part B (Professional Beliefs About Diversity Scale). Please indicate the level of your agreement with
each statement below by checking the box that matches your level of agreement with the statement.
1 - Strongly Disagree
2 - Somewhat Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Somewhat Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
Statement
1
2
3
4
5
1. Teachers should not be expected to adjust their preferred mode of
instruction to accommodate the needs of all students.
2. The traditional classroom has been set up to support the middle-class
lifestyle.
3. Gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools.
4. Students and teachers would benefit from having a basic
understanding of different (diverse) religions.
5. Money spent to educate the severly disabled would be better spent on
programs for gifted students.
6. All students should be encouraged to become fluent in a second
language.
7. Only schools serving students of color need a racially, ethnically, and
culturally diverse staff and faculty.
8. The attention girls receive in school is comparable to the attention
boys receive.
9. Tests, particularly standardized tests, have frequently been used as a
basis for segregating students.
10. People of color are adequately represented in most textbooks today.
11. Students with physical limitations should be placed in the regular
classroom whenever possible.
12. Males are given more opportunities in math and science than
females.
13. Generally, teachers should group students by ability levels.
14. Students living in racially isolated neighborhoods can benefit socially
from participating in racially integrated neighborhoods.
15. Historically, education has been monocultural, reflecting only one
reality and has been biased towards the dominant (European) group.
16. Whenever possible, second language learners should receive
instruction in their first language until they are proficient enough to learn
via English instruction.
17. Teachers often expect less from students from the lower
socioeconomic class.
18. Multicultural education is most beneficial for students of color.
19. More women are needed in administrative positions in schools.
20. Large numbers of students of color are improperly placed in special
education classes by school personnel.
21. In order to be effective with all students, teachers should have
experience working with students from diverse racial and ethnic
backgrounds.
22. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds typically have
fewer educational opportunities than their middle-class peers.
23. Students should not be allowed to speak a language other than
English while in school.
24. It is important to consider religious diversity in setting public school
policy.
25. Multicultural education is less important than reading, writing,
arithmetic, and computer literacy.
Part C (Free Responses). Please respond to each question below.
1. What were your positive experiences reading the children’s books in this course? In what
ways did these books contribute to your beliefs about sociocultural diversity in education?
2. What were your negative experiences reading the children’s books in this course? In what
ways did these books not contribute to your beliefs about sociocultural diversity in education?
