| This dissertation discusses the issues surrounding the teaching of values in teacher education programmes in a multicultural context, specifically, in this case, McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. It is part of a three-nation collaborative study that took place in the Faculties of Education at three universities: Universidad Pedagogica Nacional, Mexico; California State University, Long Beach and McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. Anecdotal evidence gathered from participants in an exchange program between the first two institutions indicated that significant cultural differences among both students and faculty impacted on the learning experience. Differences in values and teaching styles led to problems of communication, teaching and learning. This finding led to collaboration among the three faculties of education in order to conduct similar inquiries. My dissertation is based on the study that I carried out at McGill. My ultimate goal was to identify how values are perceived in teacher education and how they are actually taught.; I interviewed selected groups of student teachers and teacher educators and asked them to respond to questionnaires. With this data, I was able to draw some conclusions about the teaching of values as seen by these particular groups of prospective teachers and teacher educators. I generated data in two phases. In Phase 1, I conducted interviews with Faculty and students in the pre-service teacher education programme in order to identify the values that these participants considered the most important in teacher education. These interviews allowed me to develop two instruments that were subsequently used in Phase 2. In Phase 2, I obtained additional information on the values that participants considered to be important for teacher education, the values that are taught in the programs, the strategies used to teach those values and the issues that cause value conflicts.; My study indicates that respect is a value that dominates the discussion for both prospective teachers and teacher educators in this inquiry. Further, respect may be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. In addition, the teacher educators adhere to many of the values cherished by many critical theorists: open-mindedness, critical thinking and respect for difference and diversity. |
