Browsing by Subject "Critical consciousness"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Critically Conscious White Teachers: A Case Study
    (2023-05) Priester-Hanks, Mary Louise; Scheurich, Jim; Thompson, Chalmer; Murphy, Hardy; Blackmon, Sha'Kema; Murtadha, Khaula
    Racism is a pervasive and destructive force in society and has no place in schools. White teachers, like all teachers, are responsible for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. This means being aware and actively working to combat their own biases and stereotypes, providing equal opportunities and support to all students. This instrumental, qualitative study captured the narratives of five White-identifying critically conscious teachers to understand how their critical consciousness is expressed and the opportunities and challenges they experience because of their anti-racism work. The central research question of this study was: How do critically conscious White teachers in a Southern Indiana school district experiencing demographic shifts engage in anti-racism work? Janet Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) theory was used to explain the teachers’ work towards anti-racism in schools. The findings from this study indicated that White identifying critically conscious teachers White teachers: a) leverage their privilege to promote anti-racism, b) use culturally relevant practices, c) engage in co-conspirator work, d) actively collaborate with BIPOC students and teachers, e) are instrumental in supporting anti-racism efforts, f) are content with making a positive impact on students and society, g) perceive and experience negative professional consequences as a result of their anti-racism work. This study has important implications for teachers, school administrators, and education system stakeholders.
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    Movement Toward Critical Consciousness and Humility Through Family as Faculty Approaches
    (Sage, 2024) Santamaría Graff, Cristina; Ballesteros, Melissa
    This qualitative study examined preservice special education teachers’ (PSETs) movement toward critical consciousness and humility in working with families of children with disabilities using a Freirean lens grounded in three phases of consciousness: intransitive, transitive, and critical consciousness. The authors expanded upon a Family as Faculty (FAF) framework integrating Freire’s understandings of consciousness applied to the ways that PSETs work with and learn from parents/families of children with disabilities. Using FAF-related activities, PSETs demonstrated varying levels of consciousness as operationalized through specific comments or behaviors. Eight PSET-Parent pairs participated in this study. The focus of analysis was on PSETs’ reflections. Findings indicated that though the majority of PSETs demonstrated movement or growth toward becoming more “conscious,” many PSETs remained in the transitive phase: they could identify inequitable and marginalizing practices impacting students but were not at a consciousness level where they connected these injustices to systemic issues.