Examining pre-service teachers' social justice dispositions : the case of an undergraduate teacher education programme in India

Abstract

Schools in India serve a highly diverse population, and social exclusion and discrimination based on gender, caste, class, and religion are pervasive in the classrooms. Based on the assumption that preparing teachers to teach for social justice can challenge the rising inequalities in schools, this study aims to increase understanding of what it means for pre-service teachers to be prepared in a teacher education programme with a stated commitment to social justice. To understand how pre-service teachers navigate learning to teach for social justice, a framework of social justice dispositions: tendencies and inclinations that enable teachers to confront their beliefs and attitudes about diversity, thus guiding their practice, was used. The study explored the social justice dispositions of the pre-service teachers enrolled in their first year, final year and recent graduates of the Elementary Teacher Education (ETE) programme offered at women-only colleges at a large university in Delhi. The following research questions were addressed: 1. How do the social justice dispositions differ for pre-service elementary school teachers enrolled in the first year, final year and one year out of a teacher education programme? 2. In what ways are these social justice dispositions complicated for pre-service teachers as they navigate the programme? An exploratory sequential mixed-methods research was carried out in two phases: a) an online survey consisting of background questions and a Social Justice Teachers’ Disposition (SJDT) Likert scale with 214 pre-service teachers and graduates; b) followed by in-depth interviews with 21 participants selected purposively. In addition, I analysed the programme documents, such as the mission statements, course syllabi, assignment descriptions, and completed assignments of individual pre-service teachers. Drawing on major traditions of social justice education and critical social theories, I propose a conceptual framework identifying five dispositions of a social justice educator: awareness of diversity, critical self-reflection, preparedness to teach for diversity, challenging inequalities, and advocating for social justice. Findings from the survey indicate that pre-service teachers in the first year have significantly lower mean scores on the SJDT scale than those in the final year and graduates. The in-depth interviews reiterated the survey findings. The pre-service teachers in the first year of the programme were only beginning to think about social justice. However, the ones in their final year and graduates articulated a robust understanding of social oppression, inequality, and social justice and attempted to integrate social justice into their classrooms. The theoretical backdrop of feminist standpoint theory and scholarship grounded in social justice education facilitated a critical exploration of the opportunities within the ETE programme for pre-service teachers to learn about social justice. Findings also revealed moments within the programme that served as patriarchal and oppressive, thus complicating the discourse around teacher education for social justice. This study illuminates how university-based teacher education for social justice can be realized in the diverse social context of India. Furthermore, this research offers insights for teacher educators and policymakers in India and other countries to think critically about ways teacher education programmes can prepare and support pre-service teachers to become willing social justice educators.