| This study examined the attitudes and awareness of two hundred and three preservice teachers in regards to aspects of multicultural teaching and learning. Subjects responded to forty-three statements about multicultural education. The results revealed that preservice teachers are aware of multicultural education and anticipate having diverse classrooms. However, equally important, they are unclear about teacher education programs preparing them with the skills needed to teach children from cultural backgrounds different from their own. Descriptive, quantitative and qualitative analyses of data indicated that because of a diverse society, more training in multicultural education is needed. Although this may be true, there are disparities between the implications of preservice teachers' attitudes and awareness of multicultural education and teacher education programs.;It appears that teacher education programs are not designed in accordance with preservice teachers' current attitudes and awareness of multicultural education. A significant implication is that teacher education programs designed seventeen years ago are not addressing multicultural education on teaching and learning adequately. In a time when multicultural education courses need to demonstrate the importance of the individual within a culture and among other cultures, teacher education programs are not responding to these differences. The investigation of this study attempts to clarify the importance of this distinction. |
