The ABCs for Pre-service Teacher Cultural Competency Development

Source: Teaching Education, Volume 20, Issue 3 September 2009 , pages 305 - 322.

The purpose of this study was to combine pre-service teachers' self-reflection with their field experiences to enhance their cultural competency. Therefore, the study adopted Schmidt's ABC's (Autobiography, Biography, and Cross-cultural Comparison) Model in two courses in a pre-service teacher education program.

Through group comparisons, this study measured the impact that self-reflection combining autobiography, field experiences involving the writing of student biographies, and field-based reflection focused on conducting cross-cultural comparisons had on the development of pre-service teachers' cultural competency.

The results of the study illustrated the discomforts pre-service teachers experience in working with diverse student populations and documented the impact of the ABC's model on participants' cultural awareness development.

Reference
Schmidt, P. R. (1998). The ABC’s cultural understanding and communication.
Equity and Excellence in Education, 31(2), 28-38.