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Being and Becoming Across Difference: A Grounded Theory Study of Exemplary White Teachers in Racially Diverse Classrooms

Feinberg, Jane S.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0293-204X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1675032601165499

Abstract Details

2023, Ph.D., Antioch University, Leadership and Change.
Of the roughly 3.5 million public school teachers in the United States, approximately 80% are White. In contrast, about 51.7% of the nation’s students are African American, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian. This mismatch is expected to grow as the number of BIPOC students in our nation’s public schools continues to increase. Studies have shown that strong positive relationships are essential for learning, but often, the relationships between White teachers and BIPOC students are strained at best, leading to poorer learning outcomes. The purpose of this Constructivist Grounded Theory study was to explore an understudied question: How do White teachers who have been deemed exemplary by educators and parents of Color perceive their relationships and experiences with BIPOC students in an educational system and a society that often marginalizes them? Open-ended interviews were conducted with 19 middle and high school teachers in Massachusetts. Dimensional analysis revealed Being-and-Becoming Across Difference as the core dimension. Five primary dimensions were identified: Reflecting, Relating, Embodying Humility, Affirming Culture, and Holding Hope. Results of this study suggest that significant changes are needed in the recruitment and hiring of White teachers and that pre-service and in-service professional development must support White teachers in far more robust and sustaining ways than currently exist. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.
Elizabeth Holloway, PhD (Committee Chair)
Harriet Schwartz, PhD (Committee Member)
Maureen Walker, PhD (Committee Member)
Christine Sleeter, PhD (Committee Member)
305 p.
Curriculum Development; Education; Education History; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory; Ethnic Studies; Inservice Training; Middle School Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Pedagogy; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Secondary Education; Social Psychology; Social Research; Sociology; Teacher Education; Teaching
teacher-student relationships; implicit bias; deficit thinking; pathologizing practices; teacher expectations; teacher identity; critical whiteness studies; white teacher identity studies; relational-cultural theory; critical race theory; CRT; cultural relevance; asset-based pedagogies; adaptive leadership; middle and high school

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Feinberg, J. S. (2023). Being and Becoming Across Difference: A Grounded Theory Study of Exemplary White Teachers in Racially Diverse Classrooms [Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1675032601165499

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Feinberg, Jane. Being and Becoming Across Difference: A Grounded Theory Study of Exemplary White Teachers in Racially Diverse Classrooms. 2023. Antioch University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1675032601165499.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Feinberg, Jane. "Being and Becoming Across Difference: A Grounded Theory Study of Exemplary White Teachers in Racially Diverse Classrooms." Doctoral dissertation, Antioch University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1675032601165499

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

antioch1675032601165499
939
© 2022, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Antioch University and OhioLINK.