ERIC Number: EJ985527
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-4800
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Available Date: N/A
In Search of Permeable Boundaries: A Case Study of Teacher Background, Student Resistance, and Learning
Mthethwa-Sommers, S.
Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, v23 n3 p77-97 2012
This article draws from an action research case study undertaken by an African-born faculty member who speaks English with a foreign accent. The study employed co-teaching as an intervention method to (a) test the hypothesis that co-teaching with an instructor born in the United States from the dominant racial and linguistic group might reduce levels of resistance to the content of the social justice in education course and (b) to examine student-instructor interactions on the basis of instructor background. Data were collected from the reflective journals and teaching evaluations of instructors as well as from students' journals and assignments. Critical race theory was utilized as the framework to analyze these documents. Results reveal that the students' judgment of the African-born instructor's teaching efficacy appeared to be closely linked to her background as an African-born faculty member who speaks English with a foreign accent.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Social Justice, Action Research, Preservice Teacher Education, Race, Teacher Background, Multicultural Education, Case Studies, English (Second Language), African Languages, Native Language, Pronunciation, Second Language Learning, Team Teaching, Hypothesis Testing, Diaries, Teacher Evaluation, Critical Theory, Teacher Student Relationship, Females, Teacher Effectiveness, Student Attitudes, Intervention
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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