Cultural Diversity: Primary Trainee Teachers’ Understandings and Views about Their Preparedness

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore primary trainee teachers’ views about cultural diversity and their sense of preparedness towards teaching in culturally diverse classrooms, through their teacher training programme. The contribution to knowledge of this study is that still today, trainee teachers continue to be underprepared to teach in culturally diverse classrooms. Moreover, they have limited understandings about cultural diversity, intercultural education and equality in education, which have been mostly developed based on the colourblind approach. Trainee teachers were not satisfied with the preparation they had received and they wished to receive more training in certain areas. However, their willingness and desire to get appropriately prepared were not taken into consideration by the faculty and by their tutors. The type of the course attended does not make a difference to trainee teachers’ views and understandings. The prior experience on the other hand seems to influence both factors.