The Racial Consciousness Attitudes of White Prospective Teachers and Their Perceptions of the Teachability of Students from Different Racial/ethnic Backgrounds: Findings from a California Study

A study was conducted to assess the influence of White prospective teachers' (N = 126) racial consciousness attitudes and identity on their perceptions of the teachability of students from various racial/ethnic backgrounds. Student teachers were administered a demographic questionnaire, the Oklahoma Racial Attitude Scale, and the Teachable Pupil Survey, the latter of which assesses three behavioral dimensions (cognitive-autonomous-motivational, institutionally appropriate, and personal-social). The findings reveal that the sampled teachers' perceptions of teachability varied according to the race/ethnicity of the students. The implications of the study and the effects of teachers' racial attitudes upon students are discussed. Recommendations are offered for teacher education programs that address racism and nullify the impact of racist attitudes on teacherstudent relations. INTRODUCTION A number of researchers in the field of counseling psychology have maintained that racial identity is embedded in one's consciousness and value system, the latter of which is socially developed (Atkinson, Morten, & Sue, 1993; Atkinson & Thompson, 1992; Carter, 1990; Pedersen, Fukuyama, & Heath, 1989; Phinney, 1990; Ponterotto & Casas, 1991; Rowe, Behrens, & Leach, 1995). In turn, they contend, one's racial identity affects the development of racial attitudes toward oneself and others. Investigators in the field of educational research have focused on teachers' differential attitudes toward students without using race or ethnicity as variables (Brophy & Evertson, 1981; Cooper & Good, 1983; Willis & Brophy, 1974). Another extensive body of educational literature has examined Black and White teacher attitudes toward Black and White students (Brophy & Good,1974; Cornbleth & Korth, 1980; Eaves, 1975; Gay, 1974; Gottlieb, 1964; Griffith & London, 1978; Simpson & Erickson, 1983; Washington, 1980). More recent studies sharing this latter focus confirm a revelation that is less than startling, yet nonetheless surprising to some: the racist attitudes historically noted among the general population of the United States are just as common within its teacher populations (Ahlquist, 1991; Haberman, 1992; King, 1991; Sleeter, 1993; Tatum, 1994). Educational researchers have shown that many of the problems that occur in classrooms with regard to student achievement and opportunity to learn are due to what is typically called the "cultural mismatch" between teachers and students, a mismatch that can be more accurately tied to racial/ethnic differences (Foster, 1990, 1993; Irvine, 1991; LadsonBillings, 1995; Villegas, 1991). Proposals for new curriculum and teaching methods and for culturally relevant pedagogy have been offered as a response to these problems (Au, 1980; Osborne, 1989; Tharp, 1989). These approaches have given rise to multicultural education, diversity training, and racial/ethnic sensitivity programs for prospective and active teachers (Gollnick & Chinn, 1990; Haberman, 1991; Irvine, 1991; Sleeter, 1992). As yet, however, the emphasis of these initiatives has been on their dissemination and implementation rather than on assessment of their impact and influence. Unlike the field of teacher education, the counseling psychology discipline has taken bold, definitive steps to explore, reveal, and assess counselors racial attitudes and stereotypical belief structures. Out of this awareness have emerged the subfields of culturally relevant psychology, multicultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, culturally sensitive counseling, cross-cultural counseling, and minority group counseling-each of which has been well-defined and differentiated within the larger field for over two decades (Atkinson et al., 1993; Rowe, Bennett, & Atkinson, 1994; Sue & Sue, 1990). For example, cross-cultural psychology has been defined as "the systematic study of behavior and experience as it occurs in different cultures, as it is influenced by culture, or results in changes in existing cultures (Triandis, 1980, cited in Atkinson et al. …