Preparing Culturally Responsive Educators in the 21st Century: White Pre-service Teachers Identification of Unearned Privileges

Abstract

This qualitative /quantitative investigation highlights the analysis of preservice teachers' responses to an end of semester writing prompt in a diversity course requiring them to identify an unearned privilege that they may have benefitted from. Data were analyzed using qualitative as well as quantitative methodologies. Qualitative analysis revealed a range of privileges that pre-service can rely on when they reflect on the structured nature of privilege within our society such as socio-economic status, race, education, American citizenship, gender, parental support and language. Quantitative results, which focused on descriptive statistics, revealed that Whiteness and social class were privileges that they benefitted from the most.