Student Teaching Experience in Diverse Settings, White Racial Identity Development and Teacher Efficacy

Abstract

This study examined how diversity of field placement affected White student teachers' White racial identity (WRI) development, and the relationship between WRI and teacher efficacy. There was no change in WRI development regardless of placement; however, as the percentage of students of color in the placement increased, two subscales (instructional strategies, classroom management) of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) decreased. A negative correlation existed between WRI (Pseudo-Independence and Contact subscales of the White Racial Consciousness Development Scale-Revised) and subscales of the TSES. Results indicate that teacher preparation programs critically examine Whiteness and WRI as a construct.