Tarleton Self-Study

Tarleton State University has campus sites in three locations throughout Texas. The strong Tarleton traditions and legacy began in 1899. In 1917 Tarleton State University joined the Texas A&M University System. The Tarleton State University main campus is located in Stephenville, Texas. Tarleton also has a campus in Waco and a newly constructed campus in Fort Worth.

During the 2020 reporting year, there were 599 teacher candidates enrolled (84% female and 16% male). The Tarleton State University demographic profile of teacher candidates are illustrated in the Teacher Candidate Demographics 2020 chart below. This data represents our baseline data that is consistent with national trends in that the majority of white teacher candidates is significantly larger than all other groups combined. Our goal and pursuit in this work is that we will CHANGE. By establishing concerted efforts and changes in the operation of our program, we will eventually see shifts in the teacher demographics that represent Tarleton in the future.

Teacher educators and researchers began advocating for culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy over twenty years ago (Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995); however, little attention has been focused on the impact of developing culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy with a systematic examination of changing one’s own practice as a teacher educator, especially in a the current state of political and social unrest.

Now, more than ever, educators must challenge these social inequities in our classrooms. We must examine our own implicit biases, challenge our own understanding of access and equity, and make our own practice more equitable for all so that our preservice teachers are equipped to challenge the injustices increasingly faced by those who were already historically underserved.

Our self-study research questions are:

RQ1: What are the current self-efficacy beliefs and practices of our teacher educators regarding culturally responsive teaching?

RQ2: How do multiple efforts (CRTSE assessment, professional development, critical friendship discussion and observation, and reflection on culturally responsive pedagogies) impact our teacher educator self-efficacy, beliefs, and practice?

The ‘Problem of Practice’ is that Tarleton cannot ensure that teacher educators are effective in preparing novices to work with all students, especially our historically underserved students. There is an absence of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in the Tarleton Teacher Educator Preparation Program.

This study relies on Culturally Responsive Teaching Self Efficacy within a community of practice. We aim to understand and build an understanding of university faculties' Culturally Responsive Teaching Self Efficacy beliefs and practices regarding culturally responsive teaching.

Dr. Amber Lynn Diaz, Dr. Crystal Rose, and Dr. Julie Howell served as the self-study team. Both Dr. Diaz and Dr. Rose participated in professional development and self-study efforts alongside faculty, but their reflections and data were not included. The participants included 20 Curriculum & Instruction teacher educators (all white, 17 females, 3 males). All participants willingly participated in our collaborative self-study. Faculty participants teach both undergraduate and graduate courses in the teacher educator preparation program.

Our self-study followed the cycles of action research where the faculty and self-study team set out to closely examine our own practices and our understandings about the conditions under which we practice; ask critical questions about our practice; engage in communicative action with others to reach a consensus about what to do; take action to transform practice, and document and monitor what happens. The goal is “the immediate and continuing betterment of practice rather than merely being informed about practice” (Kemmis, et al., 2014, p. 75).

The self-study team analyzed data using a constant-comparative method (CCM) (Creswell, 1998; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1994) in order to identify themes to inform our research questions. We based the methods for data analysis on the methods found in Olson et al.’s (2016) Applying Constant Comparative Method with Multiple Investigators and Inter-Coder Reliability. As Olson et al. (2016) describes, the code generation began as a shallow endeavor. The team began the process by open coding all data by making comments for each data piece with descriptive, low inference codes (Punch, 2014). After that, we listed evidence by research question with a set of a priori codes including: Current Teacher Educator Self Efficacy, Current Teacher Educator Teaching Beliefs Current Culturally Responsive Pedagogies, New Teacher Educator Teaching Practices, New Teacher Educator Teaching Beliefs, and New Culturally Responsive Pedagogies (Creswell, 2013).

Findings in this self-study revealed the evident need, strong commitment, and desire for more. The participants want to grow, they appreciate the support from US PREP, Teaching Works, and Raise Your Hand Texas. We also found unity across our department and institution regarding culturally responsive pedagogy.

One theme that emerged from the data early on in the study was a description of current beliefs regarding culturally responsive teaching, which also directly connects to the first research question. Outside of the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self Efficacy Beliefs, a few of the faculty communicated other beliefs about education. When asked about their own identity and current beliefs, practices, and culturally responsive pedagogies in a reflection early in the self-study, a few of the faculty communicated other beliefs such as a strong work ethic, evidence-based practices, growth mindset, respect, empathy, support.

Another theme that emerged from the data early on in the study was a description of current practices regarding culturally responsive teaching, which also directly connects to the first research question.

Faculty scored themselves highest on the questions not directly related to culturally diverse students. Although there are wide disparities among self-ratings of efficacy concerning Culturally Responsive Teaching, the mean for only 17 of the 40 questions was 80% or above. In other words, at the beginning of the self-study, faculty feel somewhat confident in only 42% of the areas identified in order to have Culturally Responsive Teaching Self Efficacy.

Research has indicated that institutions that provide training around culturally responsive, sustaining practices and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); however, although training may lead to immediate changes in attitudes, they are ineffective at changing practices. Training must be part of “a broader effort” and involve multiple components and a “wider program of change” (Dobbin & Kalev, 2018, p. 52).

Although Choi & Mao (2021) found professional development for teachers can statistically lead to an increase in Culturally Responsive Teaching Self Efficacy (CRTSE), there are very few studies that specifically examine this impact in university faculty (Gallagher et al., 2011). Therefore, supporting the need for our specific work, professional learning, and research-based study at Tarleton.

Our next steps include continued discussion, support, activities, rehearsal, and performance in order to build efficaciousness in our faculty. The literature does not provide instruction in this area for teacher educators who have a thorough, even expert, knowledge of theory, but are not efficacious in their practice. Several (i.e. Appleget et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2021; Garbett et al., 2018; Han et al., 2014; Hamilton, 2020; Soslau, et al., 2018) have begun this discussion with a commitment to a small group of critical friendships with the goal toward growth in culturally responsive beliefs and practices; however, we must follow their lead in working with, challenging, and keeping one another accountable for cultural responsiveness, not only in theory but in practice in our own classrooms with preservice teachers across our department and institution.

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